The Grio

The Grio is an American website with news and video content geared particularly toward African Americans. Originally launched in June 2009 as a division of NBC News, it became a division of the progressive-leaning MSNBC cable channel in 2013. It was founded by the team who created the documentary film Meeting David Wilson. In 2014, it was sold to its founders.

History

TheGrio's editorial mandate is to "focus on news and events that have a unique interest and/or pronounced impact within the national African Americans audience", offering what co-founder, and Executive Editor David Wilson feels "are underrepresented in existing national news outlets". The site's debut sponsor was Ford. It features both original video content, as well as material collected from sources like msnbc.com, and compete with Slate's TheRoot.com, AOL's BlackVoices.

The website's name is derived from word griot, the term for a West African oral historian and storyteller.

Personnel

Founders