How the Mexican-American War Gave Birth to a News-Gathering Institution

The Associated Press Was Built for Speed and Straight Facts

When Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States during 1831 and 1832, he was struck by the fact that the young republic had no overpowering metropolis, that “the intelligence and the power of the people are disseminated through all the parts of this vast country.” While New York City was the hotbed of innovative newspapering, much of that innovation was in the service of disseminating the news to the broadest possible audience. The New York Sun, established by Benjamin Day in 1833, led the field in innovation. Eager to sell …

By Valerie S. Komor | September 4, 2015

Why Can’t NBC Call Brian Williams a Liar?

TV News Networks May Be Betting That Viewers Have Simply Grown Accustomed to Exaggeration

by George Merlis | June 25, 2015

Critics and social media commentators have picked apart Matt Lauer’s nine-minute Today Show interview with disgraced news anchor Brian Williams, making much of its “mistakes were made,” less-than-apologetic tone. What …

Zócalo Expands Its Los Angeles Presence

We’re Opening a Satellite Office in Boyle Heights, Launching a Groundbreaking L.A.-Focused Initiative with Metro, and Expanding Our Partnership with L.A.’s Leading NPR Affiliate, KCRW

January 12, 2015

Zócalo Public Square has built a national profile, syndicating our editorial content to more than 160 media outlets around the country and partnering with global brands including the Smithsonian Institution …

Zócalo Goes National

Announcing Two New Partnerships with Global Brands—the Smithsonian Institution and the J. Paul Getty Trust

December 1, 2014

Zócalo is proud to announce the launch of significant new partnerships with two major global brands: the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. and the J. …

Can Sensationalism Save Democracy?

The Case for Reporting on More Scandals, Worrying Less about Page Views, and Fighting Audience Apathy at Every Turn

October 22, 2014

Earlier this year, Stephen Colbert triumphantly declared “the first real scandal” of the Obama administration after CNN reported that veterans had died while waiting for care in the Phoenix Veterans …

The News is Dead in L.A. Long Live the News.

If Mainstream News in Los Angeles Is Burning, What Should Rise from the Ashes?

March 7, 2014

Shriveling advertising revenue, circulation death spirals, rounds of layoffs, bankruptcies—it’s hard to read a story about the newspaper industry in Southern California these days that isn’t a dirge of doom …

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