It’s been one of the most tumultuous years in recent memory for journalists across Southern California. Newspapers in the Southern California News Group have experienced deep cuts. The LA Weekly eliminated much of its staff. LAist abruptly shut down -- but might have found a lifeline.
On Wednesday, March 14, the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will host a panel featuring some of the journalists who have experienced the disruption firsthand.
The panel will feature Larry Altman, longtime crime and courts reporter who recently left the Daily Breeze; veteran journalist Dennis Romero, former staff writer with the LA Weekly; and NewsGuild representative Darren Carroll, who has been coordinating a national campaign against the hedge fund that owns Digital First Media, which in turn owns the Los Angeles Daily News, Orange County Register, the Daily Breeze and other newspapers in the Southern California News Group.
Julia Wick, freelance journalist and former editor-in-chief of LAist, will moderate.
WHAT:
SPJ/LA’s panel discussion: “Southern California’s Newsmageddon: What’s been lost and what comes next?”
WHO:
Larry Altman has covered crime and court proceedings in Southern California since 1987, working at the Progress Bulletin in Pomona and Daily Report in Ontario before joining the Daily Breeze in 1990. His work was featured twice on CBS' “48 Hours” and he appeared eight times with “Nancy Grace." He has covered hundreds of homicides and numerous trials.
Dennis Romero is a former LA Weekly staff writer. He previously worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Los Angeles Times, where he participated in Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the L.A. riots. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone online, the Guardian and, as a young stringer, the New York Times.
Darren Carroll is a representative of the NewsGuild. He started his career in 1984 as a reporter for Bay City News Service in San Francisco. He’s worked for the Guild for 28 years, 23 of them on the Guild’s international staff.
Julia Wick, the panel’s moderator, was editor-in-chief of LAist when the site was shuttered in November 2017. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she now works as a freelance journalist and in December was elected to the SPJ/LA board of directors. She was previously a senior editor at Longreads.
WHEN:
Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
WHERE:
The Association Bar
110 E. 6th Street
Downtown Los Angeles, between Main and Los Angeles streets
COST:
Free and open to the public.
RSVP:
Please RSVP at spjlosangeles@gmail.com
PARKING:
Secure 24-hour parking available at 545 S. Main St., $5/20 min., $13/max.
CONTACT:
Julia Wick, juliawick@gmail.com