Ty Rushing, co-founder and president of the Iowa Association of Black Journalists and senior editor of Iowa Starting Line, shares some tips, tricks, and examples of how him and others have used social media to grow their digital presence while also using that to develop a reciprocal relationship with an audience

Ty Rushing is a Kansas City, Kansas, native who made a name for himself as an Iowa journalist. He broke barriers as the first Black reporter and/or editor at eight Iowa print publications across the state.

Throughout this journey, Ty has done everything from writing about his experiences as a Black transplant adjusting to living in Iowa to penning heart-warming features. He’s profiled and interviewed prominent community leaders and politicians from all over the state and won a few awards along the way.

Ty has been featured as a guest and subject on CNN, MSNBC, Iowa Public Television, Iowa Public Radio, and other media outlets.

In 2022, Ty wrote, produced, and directed his first film “Telling Our Own Story: Ending Racism” in conjunction with Iowa PBS. The documentary was nominated for a 2023 Upper Midwest Emmy.

He resides in the Des Moines area. He is the co-founder and president of the Iowa Association of Black Journalists and serves as the senior editor of Iowa Starting Line, a Des Moines-based online news outlet.