More than 100 Los Angeles journalists, elected officials and community leaders gathered Jan. 25 for the second annual media reception at the ASU California Center Broadway, an off-the-record chance to connect on important local issues.
The reception was hosted by The Los Angeles Times, the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and the Center for Los Angeles and New Urban Leadership.
Cronkite School Dean Battinto Batts was among the speakers who emphasized the importance of journalism and journalists amidst challenging financial times for the profession, including recent newsroom layoffs in Los Angeles.
The Cronkite School can help catalyze new ideas and opportunities in Los Angeles, he said.
“We’re here as a connector. We’re here to serve you all. We’re here to be a part of this community,” Batts said.
Though times have been difficult for the industry, “journalism can and will and must continue,” he said.
Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian spoke to voice his support for a free press and said it is important for civic leaders and organizations to come together with members of the media.
Among the many other guests who attended were: Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto; Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson; Ellen Mazen of the Los Angeles Business Journal; Cora Jackson-Fossett of the LA Sentinel/Watts Times; Kat Jaeger of CNN; Chris Palmeri of Bloomberg News; Ross Furukawa of the Santa Monica Daily Press; and Donna Bojarsky, chair and co-founder of the Center for Los Angeles and New Urban Leadership.