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This is a special week for journalism in America amid what feels like yet another inflection point for our industry.
March 10-16 is National Sunshine Week 2024, described by organizers as “a nonpartisan collaboration among groups in the journalism, civic, education, government and private sectors that shines a light on the importance of public records and open government.”
The initiative highlights the vital First Amendment and watchdog motivations behind news reporting, while also offering very tangible and helpful guidance to journalists (and regular residents) about how to file for government documents under the Freedom of Information Act via sunshineweek.org.
I’m celebrating by talking with my team soon about what public records requests we should submit next. Any ideas?
These discussions are great for us to stay centered and focus on our mission, but there’s no ignoring that they’re happening in newsrooms across the country with the backdrop of hard conversation we really must have as a society: What is the future of journalism?
It’s a critical time for the only profession I’ve known. If you pay attention to headlines about our industry, you understand the sorts of things journalism is facing as an institution: diminishing revenues, hedge fund ownerships, staffing cutbacks, outright closures, artificial intelligence, and the battle against pervasive (and persuasive) misinformation and disinformation.
Two of the Tri-Valley’s elected officials have taken particular note about what’s been going on – and they’re trying to do more.
State Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), who is in his final term in office, spearheaded the new California Local News Fellowship and helped spur a hearing this week before the Senate Committee on Revenue and Taxation as members examine options such as taxes and tax credits to stem the tide for local newsrooms in California.
“Independent journalism is at a crisis stage and we’re at a tipping point for its future,” Glazer, the committee chair, said ahead of the hearing. “Even though government must have a hands off relationship with news organizations, it is vital to our system of democracy to ensure we have a thriving free press. We want to examine what we can do to help.”
At the national level, the San Ramon Valley’s U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) joined two colleagues on Feb. 9 in reintroducing the “Saving Local News Act” (House Resolution 7306) that aims to make it easier for print and online news organizations to become nonprofits and H.R. 1005 that “recognizes the importance of local media outlets to society and expresses the urgent need for Congress to take action to help prevent their decline.”
“From informing the electorate to holding power to account, without a flourishing free press there is no American democracy. If outlets as large as the LA Times are suffering, it’s no wonder that local papers across the nation are being bought up and taken over by large corporations and dismantled in record numbers,” DeSaulnier said in a statement. “I am proud to again introduce this legislation that would recognize and protect local journalism as the public good it is so Americans in every community across the country have access to the news they need.”
Although I’m always concerned about any “strings attached” with government support and regulation of journalism, I’m glad these conversations are advancing because they are so necessary for us all to find positive solutions.
Of course our parent organization took the profound step on Jan. 1 to convert our business operations into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to put us on a more stable path to sustain and thrive into the future. I hope you’ll follow our Embarcadero Media Foundation on this journey; I know I’m proud to be part of it.
As I try to look ahead in my crystal ball, I’m continually encouraged by what I see at the student journalism level in the Tri-Valley. The high school and community college papers and websites are the best in the Bay in my book.
We’ve always had awesome local student interns during my 10 years with the Weekly. (Which reminds me: Recruitment for our summer program starts soon; get those applications ready.)
This spring semester, 13 teens – including California High School’s Keerthi Eraniyan and Andrew Ma – are participating in the inaugural Contra Costa Youth Journalism program. Hats off to CalMatters, the county’s Office of Education and other supporters for funding this initiative.
“Journalism is a vital part of our democracy and I look forward to seeing this new generation of journalists put the skills they learn through this program to use in their local communities,” Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Lynn Mackey said in a statement.
Here in Pleasanton, The Amadon just got a major monetary infusion from the sale proceeds of the recent book “Cruising Down Memory Lane: Stories of Pleasanton in the 1950s”.
The $10,000 donation, which was presented by the book’s organizers and the Three Valleys Community Foundation last week, will help the Amador Valley High School journalism program print its student newspaper and buy much-needed new equipment like cameras.
“We knew that all storytellers — except two — had graduated from Amador Valley High School. And we were serving as journalists in our own roles for this book,” said Donna Kamp McMillion, the book’s lead interviewer. “So the Amador Valley High School journalism program was so appropriate to consider, especially after a few of us met with Wendy Connelly, the lead teacher of the nationally-recognized program when we understood how our funds would be so wisely used after our hard work.”
Connelly pointed out the funding will be particularly crucial to help sustain what is one of the few hard-copy newspapers still produced at the high school level in the Bay Area.
“Having strong news sources that cover local news is vital for our communities. I even get requests from other high schools to have our newspaper in their libraries,” she told me. “I think that the skills learned in our class put our students so far ahead of their peers and really helps ensure these students have the skills they need for their future. I’m so proud of these students and our program.”
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the editorial director for the Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. His “What a Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.