Damien Willis

Las Cruces Sun-News

In November, Jayme Karales blew up the site he had spent years building. He unplugged ThatLitSite.com, a long-running blog that focused on literature and all things literary, and he shifted all of his attention to the launch of a new media site called Clash.

“In our first incarnation, we wanted to publish books, poetry and fiction. And that was good; that was fun for a period of time,” Karales said during a phone interview. “But then I noticed there was a lot of interest in the opinion pieces. People’s perspectives were getting a lot of attention on our social media platforms.”

With his partner, Joel Amat Güell, Karales decided to create a new site.

“We decided to be an independent news site, but we’re also going to be a sound board, essentially, primarily for young people, to sound off on politics, religion — whatever is on their minds at the moment,” Karales said. “We’re also going to branch that out in other ways. We’ll be doing web series, movies and we also have a publication line for fiction. We’re kind of all over the place, but news and opinion is primarily what we’re focused on right now.”

Clash is different. It’s so new, and feels like it’s still experimenting to find its voice. But I also I think it’s interesting. Part pop culture, part politics, part humor and part entertainment, it’s edgy enough to be not-particularly-safe-for-work, but not VICE.com. You’ll find millennial think-pieces (“Hip Hop is Reality and Art, Punk Rock is a Vehicle for Suburban Nostalgia”), and you’ll also find provocative interviews — including one Karales did with the founder of VICE.

“The type of content that millennials specifically seek out is far different, just because of the landscape,” Karales told me. “Everything is so readily available, and everyone’s opinion is already formed. The mission statement for Clash has been ‘Cutting through the Bulls**t.’ Our goal here is to feed millennials what they want, but to keep it pure — to avoid that opinionated slant that is so pervasive on other media sites.”

What sets Clash apart from other sites, besides the fact that it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen, is the site’s reliance on Tumblr to drive traffic. Clash has nearly 90,000 followers on Tumblr — a micro-blogging site popular with Clash’s target demo: adults 18 to 34, generally speaking. Karales has done a tremendous job at using Tumblr to reach his audience. That’s how I first learned of the site.

“I certainly feel like millennials are generally mistrustful, myself included,” Karales said. “Clash wouldn’t be a thing if that wasn’t the case. So often, they’re going to aggregators to get their news — and that isn’t a good way to become informed on any issue. You’re getting headlines, you’re getting snippets of everything; you’re not getting the meat of the story. What they’re getting is a Rotten Tomatoes version of news — and that’s not a good way to base an opinion or engage in a debate with someone on a certain topic, because the understanding you’re getting is all very shallow.”

According to Clash’s Twitter headline, the site is committed to “bringing you unbiased news and daring original content on a daily basis.”

As Clash works, in the weeks and months ahead, at finding its voice and following through on plans to expand into other forms of digital media, I’ll be eager to see how well it delivers on that promise. Right now, it is interesting because of its vision and potential. One day soon, it could be interesting on its own merit. Either way, I’ll be paying close attention.

If you’re easily offended, Clash is not for you. Some of the subject matter and much of the language is intended for an audience dispossessed of delicate sensibilities. Check it out at YesClash.com.

Damien Willis may be reached at dawillis@lcsun-news.com. Visit www.damiennow.com and follow him @damienwillis on Twitter.