On Monday (Apr. 27), Speedy Morman announced his departure from Complex, closing the door on a 10-year stint with the publication, which he describes as an “incredible era.”

“After 10+ years, I’ve decided to step away from Complex and my show ‘360 with Speedy’ to go independent and enter into some new partnerships,” he wrote. “Interviewing, hosting, and connecting with people on a deeper level has always been at the heart of who I am. I’m excited to continue to do that with new partners and audiences, and I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years have in store.”

As he steps into this next chapter, Morman is joining a larger collective of Black journalists and media personalities leaving traditional media platforms to pursue more independent endeavors. Between media acquisitions, mass layoffs, and cultural changes, more and more journalists have been forced to find creative ways to do what they love. Former beauty editor and journalist Kayla Greaves says there are multiple reasons behind the shift.

“The first one being that people don’t read anymore. It’s a harsh reality, but it’s reality and we see a lot of traditional media outlets crumbling because of it. Even TV news isn’t safe. The emergence of streaming and now has less people tuning into cable networks. People watch videos or listen to audio on their phones, and that’s how they now get their information—whether or not that information is factual is a different story,” she explains. “I think another big issue was that newsrooms were not open to using their editors as digital, front-facing talent at the beginning of this shift—some even tried to block us from doing it on our own. I don’t know what the industry would have looked like had they been open to adapting sooner, but I suspect it may have been in better shape than it is now.”

Philip Lewis, journalist and the president of the Washington Association of Black Journalists, echoed this, noting “a growing number of journalists who have become increasingly disillusioned with the state of our industry.”

“I have conversations with journalists all the time who are choosing to bet on themselves rather than be taken advantage of by news outlets that are unwilling to pay a living wage and are afraid to tell the truth about what’s happening in our country,” he explained.

Read the full story on TheGrio here.