San José Spotlight is one of the first newsrooms across the U.S. to join a landmark initiative to bring impactful nonprofit reporting from Washington, D.C. to our local Silicon Valley audience, according to an announcement today. The Washington Bureau Initiative is powered by the Allbritton Journalism Institute — the brainchild behind NOTUS, a leading news...
San Jose City Hall abuses its power by asking for confidential sources
The criminal investigation related to Councilmember Omar Torres has taken an ugly political turn — with people lining up to either defend or denounce the downtown politician. San José Spotlight knew that would happen when we broke the news Torres was being accused of child sex abuse. What we didn’t expect is San Jose City...
From the CEO: Ex-San Jose mayor hurts voters by ditching public forum
When you’re a journalist, ruffling the feathers of politicians and people in power comes with the territory. You might even call it a badge of honor. I once had an editor who assured me that if I wasn’t ticking them off, I wasn’t doing my job. It’s expected and it’s not uncommon. What is uncommon,...
From the CEO: Philanthropy’s role in supporting local journalism is critical
Every February, the most brilliant minds in journalism, philanthropy and media gather in sunny Miami to discuss the future of local news — and how the business must evolve to support the vital public service newsrooms provide. For the second year, my co-founder Josh Barousse and I were among those national thought leaders at the...
From the CEO: San José Spotlight is expanding its reach
Nearly a year ago we started exploring what an expansion of San José Spotlight could look like—five years after launching the publication that’s become a national leader among nonprofit newsrooms. We hear almost daily from readers who hope our impactful journalism can serve other South Bay cities. While our commitment to our hometown of San...
From the CEO: San Jose turns a blind eye to transparency
More than a year ago, San José Spotlight and the First Amendment Coalition sued San Jose and its former mayor for blatant violations of public records laws. A quick refresher: former Mayor Sam Liccardo deleted a government email and persuaded a resident to contact his private account to skirt disclosure. The city claimed no emails from...
From the CEO: How do we remain unbiased?
A prominent Silicon Valley leader called me just as I was wrapping up my work for the day. This person, who I’m not naming to respect their privacy, was angry about our election coverage. In particular, one name came up – Johnny Khamis. The former San Jose councilmember unsuccessfully ran for a county supervisor seat...
From the CEO: Why we don’t endorse political candidates
Campaign season is upon us and your mailboxes are undoubtedly overflowing with political mail. San Jose voters may have recently seen political mailers boasting our San José Spotlight logo along with quotes from our articles. While we are glad to see our journalism resonating with folks, it’s critical we make one thing clear—we do not...
Help Wanted: An election reader panel for San José Spotlight
Election season is here, and we’re looking to put together a reader panel to talk about the key issues, contests and what matters most to you. We want to know what your top pritoties are as you head to the polls in June and November. What do you want to see in your next mayor?...
From the CEO: The next phase of San José Spotlight’s growth
Four years ago, I rushed home to the Las Vegas apartment I shared with my husband Josh and blurted out the words quickly and breathlessly. The idea had been percolating all day in my mind. I was obsessed with it. I couldn’t think of anything else. “Let’s start a nonprofit news organization in San Jose,”...