Category: Local news
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Telling the stories of health care in the San Joaquin Valley
A health reporting fellowship amplifies vital stories of health care in the Central Valley, making impactful journalism accessible to newsrooms across the region. One of the challenges in this era of shrinking newsrooms is giving enough attention to important public policy issues that don’t drive clicks in the way crime, restaurant openings, traffic, weather, and…
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Valley Public Radio overcomes Congress’ move to silence public radio in America
Congressional defunding of public broadcasting has created challenges for many stations, but KVPR is using the cuts as a catalyst for growth. It has been just over a year since the Republican-led Congress cut federal funding for public broadcasting, citing allegations that PBS and NPR stations exhibited a liberal bias. The intent was clear: to…
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Why using tax dollars to fund local news makes sense in California
State funding builds on the philanthropic bridge that’s sustained local news in recent years, giving newsrooms more stable footing. Local news is dying across America — everyone knows that by now. But California is betting on two bold experiments to help reverse the trend. The first is the California Local News Fellowship, the nation’s largest…
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What I learned writing obituaries for people who weren’t dead yet
My strangest assignment as a young reporter—and the lesson it taught me about how a life is truly measured. When I was a young reporter at The Fresno Bee, I was assigned to the obituary beat. Along with writing the daily obituaries, I received a second, more unusual assignment: writing obituaries for prominent members of…
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The price we pay for taking journalism for granted
Journalism’s greatest challenge may be that its benefits are easiest to see after they’ve been lost. California just held a primary election. As I watched the returns come in, I found myself thinking less about who won and lost than about a deeper question: What makes an informed vote possible? Not campaigns, advertising, or political…
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Public agencies don’t like releasing public records
Even when the law requires disclosure, getting documents can be an uphill battle. It may sound ironic, but the very people entrusted with maintaining public records are often the first to argue for keeping them private. The government offices that are supposed to safeguard transparency can become the places where access is slowed, narrowed, or…
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Fresnoland, Fresno Bee and Mariposa Gazette take top honors in Gruner journalism awards
By Royal Calkins A Fresnoland reporter and teams of journalists from the Fresno Bee and Mariposa Gazette won top honors for public service Thursday in the 38th-annual George F. Gruner Journalism Awards at California State University Fresno. The Gruner awards recognize outstanding journalism by newspapers and digital news operations around the San Joaquin Valley. They are named for the…
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Fresno State journalism grad Manny Fernandez on the relentless reporting that revealed Cesar Chavez’s sexual misconduct
The story behind the New York Times reporting that challenged the public image of the iconic farm labor leader. The New York Times exposé that brought down civil rights icon Cesar Chavez was always destined to be more than a mere investigative story. It’s a testament to the persistence of journalism and the courage of survivors who…
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The ethics of using AI in newsrooms: A work in progress
News organizations are grappling with how to use AI responsibly while preserving public trust. We are still at the beginning of the artificial intelligence revolution, and the public is looking for clear guidance on how newsrooms are using AI to report the news. But the reality is that most news organizations are still developing their…
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What I witnessed on the UFW picket line at the start of the grape strike: A struggle to improve life for those who harvest our crops
From early mornings to heated debates, the human stories behind the farm labor movement unfolded before me. The monumental downfall of the late farm labor leader Cesar Chavez brings back vivid memories of my time as a young journalist covering the grape strike in California’s San Joaquin Valley vineyards during the 1970s. It was a…
Institute for Media and Public Trust at Fresno State 