James Ward is an editor at the Visalia Times-Delta in California’s Central Valley, where he oversees sports, lifestyles, and arts & entertainment coverage. Before moderating a panel on the role the arts play in communities, he talked pizza and barbecue, Orson Welles and the San Francisco Giants in the Zócalo green room.
What’s your favorite pizza topping?
Salami.
When did you last laugh?
About two minutes ago. [A panelist] said something funny in the green room.
What would you choose as your theme song?
The theme from The Godfather. [Laughs.]
What keeps you up at night?
Whether I’m going to be laid off. As journalists, we all think about that.
What’s your fondest childhood memory?
Probably going to the movies with my mom.
What advice do you give to aspiring journalists?
Think about going into another field.
What’s your specialty in the kitchen?
Barbecuing anything—steaks, chicken, salmon.
What teacher or professor changed your life, if any?
George Flynn, a journalism professor at Fresno State. He was crazed. I was interested in the journalism field, but he really convinced me after taking his newswriting course that this was something I wanted to do.
What year, past or future, would you time travel to if you could?
1940. I would love to be a fly on the wall during the making of Citizen Kane with Orson Welles.
What’s your favorite spectator sport?
Baseball. I’m a San Francisco Giants fan, and I am doing this forum when they are one game away from the World Series. I did not agree to do this knowing that. It was before they got into the playoffs. I might be checking my phone midway through to see how the Giants are doing.