Column: When freedom of the press is under attack, independent media is the first line of defense

Los Angeles is a difficult city to describe to an outsider. It is a place where gritty realism meets endless creativity, from music to street festivals to cuisine. Even outside the official boundaries of what constitutes Los Angeles County, Southern California is a mosaic of cities rich with culture and regional traditions with people from all backgrounds.  

And over the last several years it has become “home” to me. 

In 2023 I was selected for the inaugural cohort of the California Local News Fellowship. Administered by the University of California, Berkeley, the program employs more than 60 fellows, placing them in newsrooms across the state to support and strengthen local journalism. I was placed with my first choice; CALÓ News. 

When I began reporting in L.A. I was relatively new to the region and was drawn to the local politics and grassroots movements. There was not much time between “settling” into my role before I was given a crash course on local civic issues, education, housing, public health  and immigration. 

These last two years have opened doors for me professionally, but also allowed me the opportunity to immerse myself into the vastly diverse neighborhoods of L.A. In areas where news deserts are common, the fellowship is helping restore vital coverage that keeps communities informed. The program also partners with local outlets like L.A. Public Press, Capital & Main, Boyle Heights Beat and L.A. TACO, newsrooms that operate free from control by corporate, government or other institutional interests. 

Two of my long-time colleagues at CALÓ News are early-career Latina journalists who have shown me that reporting with care and integrity is possible, even as we stand in our values. Over the course of the fellowship my small news team has worked to develop a brand as a community-centered newsroom: for and by the people.

Without a legacy media outlet budget, CALÓ News has become a staple in Los Angeles’s media landscape. Whether I’m covering a story in Long Beach or the heart of downtown L.A., people know who we are now. Chances are you’ve seen my esteemed colleagues Brenda Verano and Amaraini Hernandez, in the field, or in the byline of a breaking news story.  

The experience of reporting in Los Angeles has been life changing. A lot has occurred in a span of two short years. I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer halfway through my fellowship in 2024. I began chemotherapy and made the decision to continue working throughout my treatment. Then Donald Trump secured a second presidential term, Southern California was ravaged by catastrophic wildfires and immigration raids escalated dramatically across the state under the new administration. 

One thing was evident. I knew that even in the midst of my treatment, I would not be sitting idly by as immigrant communities were being targeted by federal immigration sweeps. 

In our Latinx-led newsroom, the impact of the Trump administration’s harmful policies was deeply felt. Our staff discussed openly about what it meant to continue covering communities that would remain under attack and why, despite the risks, we had no choice but to keep going. 

A free press is one the building blocks of a functioning democracy. I think people sometimes forget that journalists are public servants. Although independent media may lack the resources of legacy outlets, we remain frontline defenders in a digital landscape saturated with misinformation. 

The UC Berkeley Local News fellowship was a lifeline in the last several years. It gave me financial stability, access to live-saving healthcare, and a deep sense of community and purpose in my work. 

This year, thanks to additional funding from the state, the program has accepted a new cohort of fellows, expanding its reach at a time when local news coverage is at risk. As many community outlets face closures or cutbacks, the initiative helps fill critical reporting gaps.

As I reflect on the past two years, I’m inspired by a new generation of journalists dedicated to public-interest reporting. I’m equally excited to continue building community here in L.A. alongside my journalism peers doing critical work during an unprecedented political moment. 

For many of us, local reporting is more than a profession. It’s a commitment to the neighborhoods that make Southern California a heartbeat of grassroots activism and political change.