Elections

Using the Ballot to Fight Corruption

11.02.2020
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The Public Press hosted a panel discussion on Oct. 29 exploring how voters can use the ballot box to hold local and state government accountable. Veteran good-government experts provided a break down of the challenges in San Francisco and California, and answered questions from the audience. Our panelists were Carmen Balber, executive director, Consumer Watchdog, and Larry Bush, member, San Francisco Ethics Commission. The discussion was moderated by Bay Area radio journalist Max Pringle.

From the Newsroom

Election 2020: What’s on the Line in San Francisco?

10.19.2020
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The Public Press hosted a panel discussion October 14 examining San Francisco propositions and local races on the November 2020 ballot. Panelists provided attendees with a nonpartisan breakdown of the measures and candidates, explaining them in plain language and answering audience questions.

From the Newsroom

Condemning Hate in Online Spaces

06.05.2020
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Dear Public Press community,

I need to tell you about an upsetting, hateful incident that occurred during a Public Press Live event we held as a Zoom webinar on Thursday, May 28. The Public Press takes this matter seriously, especially in light of the pain and grief expressed nationwide this week about the chronic mistreatment, disrespect and disregard for black lives. A few minutes into our discussion with students about their experience with and perspectives on distance learning during the pandemic, one or more people flooded the text chat with horrific racist epithets directed at La’Jaya Smith, a recent graduate from San Francisco’s Life Learning Academy. The Public Press condemns this kind of behavior and prohibits it on all platforms and venues under our control. As soon as we saw the disturbing comments, another staff member and I responded quickly to eject the attackers and suspended commenting for all participants.

From the Newsroom

Surviving the Pandemic: The Future of Local Media

05.06.2020
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The Public Press hosted a discussion April 30 exploring news media challenges facing community journalism before and during the crisis and how the future will require more diverse and sustainable business models that don’t rely exclusively on advertising. Our panelist were:

Martin Reynolds, co-executive director of the Maynard Institute
Michael Stoll, executive director, San Francisco Public Press

The discussion was moderated by Gina Baleria, assistant professor of communications & media studies at Sonoma State University, and host of the new podcast “News in Context,” that explores media bias and how information is delivered and consumed. It airs on KSFP 102.5 FM Fridays at 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Watch a full recording of the conversation.

From the Newsroom

Coronavirus Scams and How to Avoid Them

04.14.2020
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The Public Press hosted a conversation April 9 to help the community understand how to identify and prevent phone and email scams that target the vulnerable — the elderly, people who are isolated or who have limited digital literacy.

From the Newsroom

Neighborhood Meets Challenge: How S.F.’s Sunset Organized for Pandemic Aid

04.08.2020
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The Public Press hosted a conversation April 3 with Sunset Neighborhood Help Group founders Frank Plughoff, Bianca Nandzik and Stefan Nandzik about how they are coordinating a dynamic volunteer network to connect with elderly and at-risk neighbors who need help buying groceries and running errands during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meka Boyle, who first reported on the Sunset neighborhood’s call for mutual aid,  also participated in the panel, which was moderated by our publisher, Lila LaHood. Watch a full recording of the conversation.

Coronavirus
emergency room

We Need Your Help to Cover the Pandemic

03.30.2020
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Since March 11, the San Francisco Public Press and “Civic” have accelerated to a pace we did not think possible for our small nonprofit newsroom. In two and a half weeks, we published 34 stories that brought as many visitors to our website as we saw in the last three months of 2019. I can tell you definitively: We did not plan for this. Instinct kicked in for those of us with daily newspaper, broadcast and wire service experience. The need is urgent.