A Chronicle focus in January was on journalism, international and statewide
The end of January saw international travelers visit our local Larchmont newspaper, and our paper also was represented at a major conference in Sacramento.
The U.S. Department of State once again sent foreign visitors to Larchmont Boulevard to learn our views on how an independent small local paper is significant to the democratic process. Each of the four journalists from the Republic of Türkiye — Kenan Sener, from Ankara; Sidret Hazal Ocak, from Istanbul; Tulay Octen, from Ankara; and Didem Ozel Tumer, also from Ankara — has a very big reputation in Europe.
For each of them, as a guest of the International Visitor Leadership Program of the State Dept., it was a first visit to the United States (and the Chronicle was just one of their many stops).
Four days later, the Chronicle was represented among the nearly 200 California publishers, editors and reporters who gathered in Sacramento for “CapCon,” an annual conference of the California News Publishers Association.
The Association, founded in 1888, not only represents the interests of its news media members, it also works to foster the highest ideals of a free press and the news profession. The conference in Sacramento, not held since 2019 because of the pandemic, provides an opportunity to remind lawmakers of the importance to their constituents and to the State of California of strong laws relating to open meetings, public records, court access and more.
Rebuilding trust
The theme of this year’s conference was “Rebuilding Trust in an Age of Disinformation.” It focused on possible ways to restore the public’s faith in what the press is reporting.
Joining conference presenters such as former U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr and political strategist David Axelrod was Windsor Square’s own Dee Dee Myers. Currently the director of Gov. Newsom’s Office of Business and Economic Development, Myers discussed “Misinformation and State Business” with the Ventura County Star’s reporter Tony Biasotti.
Category: People