Here at California Watch, we are committed to producing first-rate investigative journalism, but that is not enough – at least not for us. My job is to always focus on public engagement. How can our reporters and editors build stronger relationships with the multitude of diverse communities that make up our state?
We want a two-way relationship with our readers: an open dialogue that allows and encourages Californians to inform our reporting. And here’s a great opportunity for that.
Next Monday, March 28, the California Watch team will spread out to work in coffeehouses from San Francisco to Visalia to Irvine for our third Open Newsroom event. We’re doing this in hopes of meeting you, our readers, and having one-on-one conversations about the issues that matter most in your community. From 9 a.m. till noon, you’ll find us at local cafes, plugged into Wi-Fi, and waiting to meet you. Got tips? We’re here to listen and learn. Have questions about reporting in California? We want to talk to you. Stop by and say hello, or follow our tweets with the hashtag #opennews.
To find out which reporter is where, check out the map below. We’d also like to take a moment to thank the following coffeehouses who are hosting our Open Newsroom.
Meghann Farnsworth, distribution and online community manager – Actual Cafe, Oakland
Corey Johnson, K–12 education reporter – Temple Coffee, Sacramento
Mike Corey, digital innovations editor – Blue Bottle, San Francisco
Suzanne Yada, web producer – Cafe 210, Visalia
Susanne Rust, environment reporter – Cafe Zoe, Menlo Park
Erica Perez, higher education reporter – Farley’s East, Oakland
Denise Zapata, editor, and Louis Freedberg, senior reporter – French Hotel Cafe, Berkeley
Kendall Taggart, reporter – Local123, Berkeley
Robert Salladay, senior editor – Mishka’s Cafe, Davis
Joanna Lin, enterprise reporter – Paradise Perks, Irvine
Ariane Wu and Tia Ghose, contributors – Philz Coffee, San Francisco
Augustin Armendariz, data analyst – Royal Grounds Coffee, Berkeley
Chase Davis, money and politics reporter – Temple Coffee, Sacramento
Ashley Alvarado, public engagement manager – Xokolatl Cafe, Los Angeles
If you can’t make it, you can always follow us on Twitter (@CaliforniaWatch) and become a fan on Facebook to keep abreast of California issues and talk to us anytime.
View Open Newsroom in a larger map
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