As a veteran journalist who started my career when Richard Nixon was president, I can tell you that there has always been an uneasy relationship between the news media and the people they cover. Over the years, many tried to get me fired when they didn’t like stories that I...
Lessons Learned by Picking Cantaloupes in San Joaquin Valley
It’s cantaloupe season in the San Joaquin Valley, a time that takes me back to a summer during high school when I picked melons in Huron for farming pioneer Russell Giffen. I didn’t know Giffen. I was merely one of thousands of high school and college students who picked crops...
Use These Tips to Cut Your Odds of Sharing 'Fake News'
Have you ever forwarded a news item to friends on Facebook only to later learn from them that the item was phony or “fake news?” It’s embarrassing, but you can avoid sharing phony stories by taking a few simple precautions when assessing news content. These tips are very basic tools...
Loss of Local News Hinders Ability to Watchdog Government
One of the last investigations Jim Boren oversaw before he retired as executive editor of The Fresno Bee was a four-month examination of substandard housing in the city at the heart of California's Central Valley. The multimedia project revealed the living conditions imposed on many of the city's low-income renters,...
Students Will Learn From Who's Who of Valley Journalists on Friday
Four hundred students and their teachers will learn how to improve their skills at the third annual Fresno City College Journalism Conference on Friday. All of the presenters are local professional journalists, media experts, or instructors. They will cover all aspects of print, broadcasting and web news gathering during 40...
Democracy, Taxpayers Suffer When Fewer Local Journalists Serve as Government Watchdogs
We’re seeing more journalists being laid off in the news industry, and just about everyone thinks they know why the business model is so broken. But like most issues, the causes are varied and complex, ranging from an industry unwillingness to recognize changing revenue trends, being behind the curve on...