Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
It's a New Platform, But I've Still Got My Eye on Fresno
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 7 years ago on
August 28, 2017

Share

Journalism started for me when I was 9 years old. We lived about 20 miles east of Portland, not far from the confluence of the Sandy and Columbia rivers, in a place called Troutdale.
I went up and down the street knocking on doors to learn the latest “news,” mostly birthdays and anniversaries and Little League results. I also asked if they were selling anything. Then I laid out my hand-written stories, with headlines, on a yellow legal pad and had Dad run off a dozen copies.
VoilĂ ! I was the proud publisher of The Neighborhood News, distributed free and complete with classified ads that didn’t cost the sellers a dime.
Fifty-four years and 3,500 columns later, I’m still in the business — the ink of yesteryear kicked to the curb by pixels.
My professional journalism career has been spent entirely in the Valley, first at the old Fresno Guide, then with the Visalia Times-Delta and for 37-plus years with The Fresno Bee. Now it continues here at GV Wire, whose publisher is Fresno builder and grower Darius Assemi.
I will oversee the news operation, as well as write columns and editorials.
Some of you likely are scratching your heads. Assemi and I haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, and I’ve written many columns about how developers have had a supersized and sometimes self-serving influence in Fresno’s growth, often to the city’s detriment.
I am doing this, in part, because of GV Wire’s three-fold mission: be a government watchdog, advocate for public policy that increases and spreads Valley prosperity, and tell compelling stories often overlooked by other media.
Starting a new journey is another attraction. I am joining a small but talented team of reporters and videographers. We don’t know exactly where we’re going yet or what our niche will be in the highly competitive Fresno media landscape. There will be times that we experiment and fail. But we will learn from our mistakes and keep getting better. We will emphasize video journalism. Our ultimate aim is to produce “mini-documentaries” that tell the story of the Valley and beyond.
We will have fun, too. Check out the “Fresno is Forever Cool” video.
The final reason I am here is my respect for Darius and other Assemi family members. They mean it when they say they love Fresno. They are thankful for the success they’ve had here since immigrating from Iran.
More importantly, they are firm believers in paying it forward. Their philanthropic efforts — stretching from Fresno to villages in Afghanistan — have helped tens of thousands of people and have been accomplished with Valley wide partnerships. They are passionate about health care for all, education and extending a helping hand to those in need. Next on their to-do list: a nonprofit project in Mendota that addresses medical, social, and youth needs in the Valley’s rural west-side communities.
The digital world is tailor made for innovation. However, there are important rules in journalism that can never be compromised. We will treat the people we cover and our readers with respect. We will cover all sides of a story, offering multiple sources the opportunity to weigh in. We will acknowledge our mistakes quickly. And we will be relentless in our defense of the public’s right to know about government decisions and actions that affect their lives.
Most of all, we will be transparent.
You will be able to easily distinguish between news and opinion. My columns will contain my opinions. Darius’ columns will present his opinions. Our editorials will be the institutional voice of GV Wire. Unlike many news sites, however, every editorial will bear the name of the person who wrote it. When it comes to news, the buck stops at my desk.
We welcome commentaries and are offering three formats: 300 words (think of it as a long letter to the editor), 500 words and 650 words. Send your submission to me: bmcewen@gvwire.com. My direct phone is 559 492-4031.
My promise to you is the same one I made to Darius and the GV Wire team: I will give my best effort everyday and we’ll see what happens.
One of my old bosses, the late Charlie Waters used to say, “Fresno is one helluva news town.”
It still is, and I am excited to keep reporting on it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: Fired Teacher and Coach Ed Madec Seeks Justice

DON'T MISS

Fresno Location Is Among the 500 JOANN Fabrics Closures

DON'T MISS

Clovis Wrestles With Fallout From ‘Non-Sanctuary City’ Idea

DON'T MISS

California Farm Donates Hundreds of Thousands of Eggs to Wildfire Victims, First Responders

DON'T MISS

As Council Race Heats Up, Dyer Credits ‘One Fresno’ for New SE Sports Park

DON'T MISS

Editorials of The Times: Now Is Not the Time to Tune Out

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Substitute Questions Students About Immigration Status

DON'T MISS

USAID in Turmoil as Aid Programs Cut, Staff Stranded

DON'T MISS

Look Past Elon Musk’s Chaos. There’s Something More Sinister at Work.

DON'T MISS

Navy Crew Members Eject From Their Jet Before It Crashes off the San Diego Coast

UP NEXT

Fresno Location Is Among the 500 JOANN Fabrics Closures

UP NEXT

Clovis Wrestles With Fallout From ‘Non-Sanctuary City’ Idea

UP NEXT

California Farm Donates Hundreds of Thousands of Eggs to Wildfire Victims, First Responders

UP NEXT

As Council Race Heats Up, Dyer Credits ‘One Fresno’ for New SE Sports Park

UP NEXT

Editorials of The Times: Now Is Not the Time to Tune Out

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Substitute Questions Students About Immigration Status

UP NEXT

USAID in Turmoil as Aid Programs Cut, Staff Stranded

UP NEXT

Look Past Elon Musk’s Chaos. There’s Something More Sinister at Work.

UP NEXT

Navy Crew Members Eject From Their Jet Before It Crashes off the San Diego Coast

UP NEXT

Kellen Moore Exits Eagles to Become Saints Head Coach

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

California Farm Donates Hundreds of Thousands of Eggs to Wildfire Victims, First Responders

13 hours ago

As Council Race Heats Up, Dyer Credits ‘One Fresno’ for New SE Sports Park

13 hours ago

Editorials of The Times: Now Is Not the Time to Tune Out

14 hours ago

Fresno Unified Substitute Questions Students About Immigration Status

14 hours ago

USAID in Turmoil as Aid Programs Cut, Staff Stranded

15 hours ago

Look Past Elon Musk’s Chaos. There’s Something More Sinister at Work.

15 hours ago

Navy Crew Members Eject From Their Jet Before It Crashes off the San Diego Coast

15 hours ago

Kellen Moore Exits Eagles to Become Saints Head Coach

15 hours ago

The Deadly Truth: Record Number of Journalists Killed in 2024

16 hours ago

CHP K-9 Seizes 50 Pounds of Illicit Mushrooms in Fresno County

17 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Fired Teacher and Coach Ed Madec Seeks Justice

On this week’s Wired Wednesday, GV Wire senior reporter David Taub talks with KMPH Fox 26 “Great Day” anchor Karl Cooke about the firing of ...

12 hours ago

12 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Fired Teacher and Coach Ed Madec Seeks Justice

12 hours ago

Fresno Location Is Among the 500 JOANN Fabrics Closures

13 hours ago

Clovis Wrestles With Fallout From ‘Non-Sanctuary City’ Idea

Rosemary Farm family representatives Jose Pelayo, left, and Lisa Stothart deliver a donation of hundreds of thousands of fresh eggs to feed first responders and those in need in the community through the donation of Rosemary Eggs at the Los Angeles Food Regional Bank in City of Industry, Calif., Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP/Damian Dovarganes)
13 hours ago

California Farm Donates Hundreds of Thousands of Eggs to Wildfire Victims, First Responders

13 hours ago

As Council Race Heats Up, Dyer Credits ‘One Fresno’ for New SE Sports Park

President Donald Trump signs an executive order on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)
14 hours ago

Editorials of The Times: Now Is Not the Time to Tune Out

14 hours ago

Fresno Unified Substitute Questions Students About Immigration Status

Priya Kathpal, right, and Taylor Williamson, left, who work for a company doing contract work for the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, carry signs outside the USAID headquarters in Washington, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
15 hours ago

USAID in Turmoil as Aid Programs Cut, Staff Stranded

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend