My Hometown Was in Crisis Before the Terror

I Worry That Everything in San Bernardino Will Soon Go Back to Normal

There was no hashtag or meme or Facebook artwork on August 1, 2012, when San Bernardino, California, filed for bankruptcy after a long fiscal breakdown. Massive budget cuts followed. The police force was reduced by a quarter and murders predictably went up. City Attorney James Penman later told residents at a public meeting to “lock your doors and load your guns.”

Such talk wasn’t new. San Bernardino, where I grew up, was already famous for violent crime and drug-dealing and shootings that came in three categories: gang-related, drug-related, or police-related. Sirens …

By Michael Tesauro | December 16, 2015

The Great TV Debates That Forever Changed How Politics Was Covered

When ABC Brought William F. Buckley, Jr., and Gore Vidal Together, the Media Became More Interested in Heat Than Light

By George Merlis | December 1, 2015

In our defense, we were a bit desperate. It was 1968 and ABC News was starved for resources and significantly smaller than its rivals NBC and CBS. We had to …

The Internet Will Not Turn Your Teen Into a Brain-Dead Zombie

A Child Psychologist Explains How Our Social Brain Adapts to New Technology

By Yalda T. Uhls | October 27, 2015

I come bearing good news: Our teens are not growing into brain-dead zombies or emotionally stunted sociopaths. After more than a decade of research by child psychologists like me, we …

Why We Shouldn’t See Refugees as Huddled Masses

Media Images Portray Displaced People as Speechless and Without History

By Peter Gatrell | October 21, 2015

In recent months, the news media have broadcast striking images of refugees that prompt sympathy and assistance from well-meaning individuals and charitable organizations, and can even help persuade governments to …

The Thin Remains of the Once Mighty Los Angeles Times

The Paper Once Reflected the Tastes, Hopes, and Dreams of a Booming Region

By Bill Boyarsky | October 15, 2015

Each morning, I go out to the front yard to pick up the thin remains of what used to be the mighty Los Angeles Times. We’re one of the two …

Austin Beutner’s L.A. Times Was a Blast from the Past

The Recently Ousted Publisher Sought to Turn the Paper Into a Political Institution, Which Has Long Been an American Tradition

By Joe Mathews | October 1, 2015

The most important political campaign in California has died prematurely, and without a proper obituary.

That sad fact speaks volumes about the challenges facing our state’s media. Because the deceased campaign …

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