Desert Sun dispatches: Our journalistic priorities and securing the newsroom's economic future
This is the first of what I hope are many letters to you from my desk at The Desert Sun. I’ve been around for a while … in June I will celebrate 23 years as a journalist in the Coachella Valley, but my two-month anniversary as executive editor is just around the corner in May.
It’s been a busy two months and I want to take some time to catch everyone up on what we’ve been doing, and where we hope to go. I also hope over the coming months to lift the veil a bit on The Desert Sun team, and what we’re working on and most proud of.
Covering every corner of the valley
We talk a lot in the (often virtual) office about covering every corner of the valley and our core value that all communities – from Desert Hot Springs to Thermal – deserve journalism that aggressively covers topics that you care about, from growth and development to tourism to our vibrant arts and culture scene.
Sometimes those are national topics, like deadly violence in schools, that are resonating locally, as is the case with the debate at the Coachella Valley Unified School District over how to best keep students safe. Education reporter Jonathan Horwitz recently examined how restorative justice ― a model for student discipline that eschews police involvement in favor of a more holistic, teacher-involved approach ― is currently used at CVUSD and how effective it has been given that students have loudly petitioned the board for a return of officers to campus.
It's also topics around how climate change is affecting daily life in the desert. Erin Rode this week reports out of Indio on the debate over gas station proliferation, given California's strict mandates to get gas-powered cars off the road in favor of electric-powered vehicles. Should cities across the state continue to approve gas-station developments? It's a debate that pits current need against policy mandates with no easy answers.
You also deserve journalism that celebrates what is unique about our people and environment in the Coachella Valley, and that is where we hope to shine a spotlight throughout 2023. We hope to capture your imagination and to reflect you and your neighborhoods and your families through a series of profiles of the people who give our desert character – and purpose. I hope you read two fun projects that recently published that I believe speak to this.
Business reporter James Cutchin applied his keen reporting and clever writing to deliver a portrait of Harpo the Clown, a valley fixture for decades, who is persevering in an industry that is rapidly evolving around him. The project sprang to life with instantly iconic photos from Andy Abeyta.
Abeyta also captured the spirit of the Coachella Valley’s roller-derby team – this time with both his lens and his pen – in an inspiring piece about the power of perseverance and the importance of teamwork.
On a more serious but also inspiring note, health reporter Ema Sasic profiled Desert Hot Springs resident Paul Edmonds, who just came forward as the fifth person in remission of HIV. As Edmonds puts it, "it truly is a miraculous story."
If it's April, we're at the music festivals
April is always a fun, but exhausting month for much of the staff, who spend the better part of three weeks at the Empire Polo Club in Indio covering the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals, both for The Desert Sun but also for USA Today's nationwide audience. One question that bubbles up locally in April is "why so many stories from the festival, especially on our website?" The team, capably and enthusiastically helmed by Features Editor Niki Kottmann, is writing for the local readers, and also festivalgoers from around the world who are looking for reviews, "news you can use" (traffic information, weather, local guides), and readers nationwide who have never set foot in the valley and want to follow along, if only from their couch.
Securing the economic future of the newsroom
I have also recently heard from many of you that you care about the future of local news and want to know how you can support our newsroom.
So how can you help? First, subscribe. A lot has changed in the media landscape but one fundamental truth remains: subscription revenue helps fund the journalism that is essential to vibrant community discourse. If you already subscribe, thank you. If you don’t, please consider either a digital-only, or print and digital subscription; rates can be found at desertsun.com/subscribe.
Want to do more?
When it comes to funding a newsroom, resources can never be taken for granted. Media companies across the country have taken a hit from market forces – pandemic shutdowns and a recessionary economy – that have led to budget cuts and layoffs. At the local level, we know that we need to take immediate steps to preserve, and in some cases resurrect, positions and sections that are loved and cherished by the community.
Enter our philanthropic partners.
The Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation raises money to fund our Opinion editor position, currently held by Nicky Loomis, who is charged with fostering robust and civil community discourse. The foundation also funds internships in local newsrooms as an investment in the next generation of journalists and provides one-time grants to news organizations to help offset the cost of reporting projects. Find out more at www.cvjf.org. The site also includes information on how you can make a donation. For questions, reach out to Board President Randy Lovely at cvjournalismfoundation@gmail.com.
The Inland Empire Community Foundation has created the Community News Fund and is looking for some heroes to help us bring back our weekly Desert Scene and Giving section, which tells the stories of those who are doing good and those who benefit from nonprofits in the Coachella Valley, where the philanthropic tradition is alive and thriving. We recently received a generous grant from CIELO Fund at IECF toward this goal. To find out more about how you can make a gift, reach out to Brie Griset Smith, who is senior vice president of charitable giving at IECF. Her email is bgrisetsmith@iegives.org.
The College of the Desert Foundation is administering the Bruce Fessier Internship Fund, which aims to foster local talent in arts and entertainment reporting. To find out more or make a gift please go to codfoundation.org/donate/BruceFessier. You may also send a check payable to College of the Desert Foundation. In the memo line, please write "Bruce Fessier Fund." Send it to College of the Desert Foundation, 43-500 Monterey Ave., Palm Desert, CA 92260.
Desert Sun journalists honored
Time to brag a bit.
The Desert Sun’s sports and photo teams were honored in March with the Bud Collins Media Award at center court during the BNP Paribas Open. Congratulations to photographers Andy Abeyta, Jay Calderon and Taya Gray, reporters Larry Bohannan, Andrew John and Shad Powers, and Sports Editor Matt Solinsky. Year after year the team provides must-read coverage of the world-class tennis tournament that reaches audiences around the globe.
We just got word that education reporter Jonathan Horwitz is the recipient of a 2022 John Swett Award for Media Excellence for his excellent reporting on a local dual language immersion program and how it is fostering a next generation of leaders. What’s really cool about this is he was nominated by a member of our community.
This was a long one. I promise to keep it shorter in the coming months.
Yours in a giving spirit, Kate
Kate Franco is the executive editor of The Desert Sun. Reach her at kate.franco@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Desert Sun dispatches: A letter from the editor, April 2023 edition
