Newsletter: What does it mean to be an ethical journalist?
Plus, a dragon boat race festival and a school nurse making a difference with periods
Greetings everyone, buenas and bom dia,
When I was a young reporter, covering the immigration beat during the first Trump administration, I attended an Immortal Technique concert. I still remember the moment when he began talking about Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the harms that the agency was causing. He encouraged the crowd to chant, “F*** ICE.”
In that moment, I panicked. In an industry that has removed journalists from coverage over tweets and, depending on the aggressor, castigated those who call out human rights violations happening around the world, I worried that I might be about to lose my job just for being at the concert.
As I gained more experience as a journalist, it became clear to me that we need to rethink our industry's ethical rules. I learned from the book “The View From Somewhere” that the idea of objectivity and bias in journalism has long been a guise used to keep journalists of color and women from participating in newsrooms.
The journalist Jorge Ramos has pushed the idea that we should speak up on certain topics — racism, discrimination, corruption, public lies, dictatorships and human rights. I tend to think he's right, and I believe U.S.-based reporters could learn a lot from our colleagues who have worked under Latin American regimes that oppress and persecute their people, including the press.
Part of covering and serving communities that have been historically harmed by our industry means grappling with these structures of objectivity and bias so that journalists of all backgrounds feel seen and supported in the newsroom.
At Daylight, we're starting down that path with the first edition of our ethics policy. We believe it's important for journalists to stay independent from power structures — political parties and wealthy donors, for example — and we also believe that journalists should be able to speak plainly about the harms that are happening in our world. There is no “both sides” to someone's life having value.
If you have feedback, questions or concerns about our policy, we very much look forward to hearing from you. Journalism doesn't happen in a vacuum — and that includes how we move in the community.
— Kate Morrissey
Hundreds gathered at Mission Bay for the 18th annual San Diego Dragon Boat Festival, featuring races, cultural performances and community celebration. Hosted by the San Diego Alliance for Asian Pacific Islander Americans, the event honored longtime organizer Linda Tu, and competing teams included youth paddlers Courageous Young Dragons and cancer survivor crew Suck It Up Buttercup.
— Marco Guajardo
Period Pantry keeps middle schoolers in class
School nurse Margaret McLean began stocking her clinic at National City Middle School with new underwear and leggings of different sizes earlier this school year to help students whose clothing gets stained. She said that otherwise, menstruating students will often call their parents to come get them and not return to class that day. The Period Pantry is her mission to prevent students from getting behind and to normalize conversations about menstruation needs.
— Kate Morrissey
Other News
A pygmy hippo living at the Ramona Wildlife Center broke a world record this week becoming the oldest of its species in captivity, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. While most pygmy hippos only live about 30 to 50 years in the wild, Hannah Shirley is now more than 51 years and 6 months old.
The city of San Diego is countersuing some victims of last year's January floods who have filed lawsuits against the city alleging failure to maintain Chollas Creek, KPBS reported. The city is alleging that some owners failed to maintain drainage facilities on their properties.
Community colleges in California are considering a highly debated move to enact application fees to combat scammers siphoning financial aid and taking up virtual seats in classes, CalMatters reported this week. State records show scammers have led to $10 million in lost federal funding and $3 million in fraudulently used state aid, but students worry about the financial impact fees would have on their lives.
The county opened a new public health lab on Thursday that will be responsible for testing related to infectious disease and food and water quality. According to the county, it will have the ability to do whole genome sequencing as well as tuberculosis testing.
A small plane crashed into military housing in the Tierrasanta neighborhood on Thursday. The Federal Aviation Administration did not issue a notice in time that a weather observation system was down at Montgomery Field, where the plane intended to land, KPBS reported.
Upcoming Events
May 30
A Genocide Foretold: Activist San Diego and KNSJ radio are hosting Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges at St. Paul’s Cathedral on his latest book tour for “A Genocide Foretold: Reporting on Survival and Resistance in Occupied Palestine.” Hedges will share his observations on the unfolding genocide in Gaza from his first-hand experiences reporting in the Palestinian territories during the turn of the century. Purchase tickets online. 6 to 8 p.m. 2728 Sixth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103
May 31
Dragon Boat Festival: The Hong Konger Club is hosting its Dragon Boat Festival for guests of all ages at the Rancho Bernardo Branch Library. The day will include storytelling in English and Cantonese, lychee-flavored snacks, dragon boat craft-making and rice dumpling decoration. 2-4 p.m., 17110 Bernardo Center Drive, San Diego, CA 92128
League of Dreams: The San Diego Japanese American Citizens League is hosting a screening of the film "League of Dreams" by Lane Nishikawa about the formation of the league. The event includes a Q&A with the director and a sushi reception. Admission is $20. 4-6 p.m. 7510 Hazard Center Dr, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92108, USA
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