World Press Freedom Day Offers Students Real-World Connection

This year's World Press Freedom Day event was filled with great stories and helpful information for CSUDH students. There were four special guests in attendance: Keynote speaker and Pulitzer Prize winner from the Los Angeles Times, Ruben Vives; Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, who previously worked for the Los Angeles Times in 2017; Kevin Modesti from the Daily News; and Brooke Staggs from the Orange County Register.

The event began with Vives sharing his life story. He spoke about the murder of his uncle, his first encounter dealing with racism at the high school he attended and dealing with "corrupt" police officers. Vives also spoke about a past LA Times news story dealing with Martin Luther King Jr Drew Medical Center and how medical errors resulted in people dying. This investigation resulted in the Los Angeles Times winning a Pulitzer Prize for public service.

"I wanted to make a difference like the reporters at Los Angeles Times. They turned something so ugly and turned it into something so hopeful for a community. It was the reporters and journalism that shed light on these things," Vives said.

Vives himself later won a Pulitzer Prize for his investigative reporting on the City of Bell scandal, where Bell city officials had been receiving some of the highest salaries in the country and were eventually found guilty of misappropriating public funds, graft, and corruption.

Modesti talked about the different experience one gets while reading an actual newspaper opposed to receiving news through an online news source. He also shared his experience of being a columnist and how he worked his way up into that position.

Staggs shared an interesting story about a Korean American reporter who came across an interesting story that was broadcasted in Korean. She discussed the importance of using diverse voices and how they help to pick up stories to report on.

Reyes-Velarde discussed the importance of reporting on different topics such as the disabled and doing research. She says to interview a source that is not familiar because we tend to go to the same groups of people.

Toward the end, students were able to ask questions of their own. One student asked, "What would be some advice you would give a student in journalism who is unsure of the path they want to take after graduating?"

"Always start with writing," Modesti said. "If you wind up in broadcasting, you will have to write it before you speak it. Writing will always be the basic form so do not stray too far from that. Work for something you enjoy."

This special event, which focused on the challenges of reporting in the current political and media landscape, gave students networking opportunities and a chance to gain knowledge that would help them long after their journey at CSUDH.