LA journalists and officials gather to connect and salute fire coverage
Guests gather in the lobby of the ASU California Center Broadway for an annual convening of journalists and elected officials. Photo by Gary Leonard
Recognition of Los Angeles-area media coverage of the region’s January wildfires was the primary message as hundreds gathered at ASU California Center Broadway for an annual convening of journalists and elected officials.
Hosted by ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2023, the March 4 event was an opportunity for LA reporters and editors to casually connect with elected officials and other community members. Organizer Donna Bojarsky, CEO of Future of Cities: LA, emphasized the need to support and “knit together” LA journalists and the community.
The Los Angeles Times, the American Journalism Project and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation also hosted this year’s event.
Photos of the raging fires and their aftermath by Los Angeles Times photographers including Genaro Molina, Gina Ferazzi and Robert Gauthier were movingly displayed in rotation on a large screen in the room.
Officials including Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and LA Times Executive Editor Terry Tang praised the heroic efforts of all journalists who captured the fires’ toll on landscapes, property and people. They also underscored the continuing need for quality local journalism.
Cronkite School Dean Battinto Batts discussed ASU’s intention to reflect and be a resource in the community, announcing the founding of the school’s new center focused on the role of media in communities. It will be based in Los Angeles and directed by Associate Professor Chelsea Reynolds.
“This is one of the most important cities in the world,” Batts said. “We want to play an active role in moving the city forward.”
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Cronkite School Associate Professor Chelsea Reynolds speaks at the ASU California Center Broadway in downtown Los Angeles during the annual convening of journalists and elected officials on March 4. She will direct a new center — announced at the event — focused on the role of media in communities.
Photo by Gary Leonard
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Jesus Sanchez (left), publisher of The Eastsider, and David Zahniser, staff writer at the Los Angeles Times, pose for a photo at the ASU California Center Broadway in downtown Los Angeles during the annual convening of journalists and elected officials March 4.
Photo by Gary Leonard
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Los Angeles Times Executive Editor Terry Tang (left, with Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication Dean Battinto Batts) was among notable guests who praised the heroic efforts of all journalists who captured the Los Angeles fires’ toll on landscapes, property and people.
Photo by Gary Leonard
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From left: Tre’vell Anderson, treasurer of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists; Betti Halsell, digital editor and staff writer with the Los Angeles Sentinel; and NABJLA President Shar Jossell were among the media guests at the March 4 event.
Photo by Gary Leonard
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