Keeping up with the news in today’s digital age can be difficult to navigate. Often times, the news can be hard to digest with all of the noise surrounding it.
Tobe V. Attah, a graduate student at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications studying media and education, felt there was a better way for students to understand the world around them. He loves writing, editing, drawing and learning about today’s new digital media atmosphere. After graduating from Cornell University in May 2017 with a communications degree with a minor in business, Attah continued onto Syracuse University knowing he wanted to make a meaningful global impact with his skills.
Born and raised in Dallas, TX, Attah grew up hoping his future would include two passions: drawing and journalism. He knew he could create that somehow, and with a determined mindset sharpened by many years of leading track and field teams in high school and Cornell, DOodle the NEWS was born.
Founded in October 2017, DOodle the NEWS is the face of revolutionary bite-sized journalism. A multimedia platform specifically designed for school aged students, DOodle the News provides a safe space for students to become more civic minded. Each post on DOodle the NEWS boils down to four components: topic, news item and reaction. The individual posts also often contain a question within the art, invoking readers to keep asking questions about the news but also limiting the tendency to produce biased news. The content on the website have now slowly moved to their social media accounts, making these cohesive bite sized comics even more accessible to an even wider audience. Through illustrations and personalized summaries, art journalists find this niche hub a place for their skills to thrive.
Attah has been published on Sports Illustrated, the Cornell Daily Sun, the Cornell Chronicle, SportTechie, Clutchpoints and many more.
Upon graduating from Cornell, Attah was immediately attracted to the entrepreneurial space at SU. “I feel like entrepreneurs and their ideas are supported by the entire Syracuse University community,” Attah explains. “It’s a lot more apparent. It’s clear that SU is both excited about these startups and are proud to support them.” Now, Attah is ready to give back.
DOodle the NEWS is actively recruiting content creators that want to understand the ins and outs of art and journalism. Attah says joining the team is simple: “Find a news story that you’re really interested in. Boil it down to your reaction, draw a doodle, extract a summarizing quote.” After that, submit your entry to DOodle the NEWS editors and build out your portfolio.
In the coming months, Attah is seeking more opportunities in seed investment funding. He hopes to continue building out his team and growing this news business. To reach out to Tobe, send an email to idoodlenews@gmail.com or tvattah@syr.edu.
Photo and story by Amanda Chou ‘18, Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow.