The Palacio Podcast
Jason Ruiz, Long Beach Post: Journalism is More Than Reporting the News
Journalist Jason Ruiz covers Long Beach City Hall amongst other beats for the Long Beach Post. In the current national toxic conversation with accusations of “making stuff up” and “fake news,” Jason Ruiz is clear about his own ethical obligations as a journalist reporting the news.
“Like I’m not going to let somebody buy me a slice of pizza because I don’t want to be beholden to them… [I have] an obligation being accurate. Those are things you’re taught in Journalism school.”
Ruiz (no relation to Antonio Ruiz, PalacioMagazine.com) believes he lives up to those standards every day he gathers and reports the news. As Jason Ruiz explains, he’s never made up the ‘truth.”
“I report what I can find out independently and what I observe. I’ve never made up a public comment to make the story better or I’ve never attributed a quote to somebody that didn’t say it.”
Jason Ruiz, Long Beach Post
PalacioMagazine.com recently interviewed Jason Ruiz before the change in ownership at the Long Beach Post. We discussed his early dreams of being a sportswriter, his favorite stories, and the future of local news in the hands of Millennials and Generation Z.
Visit Long Beach Post to read news stories from Jason Ruiz.
In the Words of Jason Ruiz
“I moved to Long Beach 13 years ago where I attended Cal State Long Beach and graduated with honors from the university’s journalism department. Since graduating in 2012 I’ve been working at the Long Beach Post in some capacity, first as a volunteer/ sometimes-paid intern to the position that I have now, which is covering City Hall and related issues in the city. It doesn’t seem like it’s been six years, but if you’ve ever attended a city council meeting you can appreciate how the years can fly by when you’re in a windowless room in an uncomfortable chair.”
On Local Journalism
While the conversation about journalists has been focused on national reporters, the reality is that most of us depend on local news for our daily information. In Long Beach, that responsibility falls to a handful of print and online news sources. There are no Long Beach-based radio and television news stations. This is perplexing and frustrating considering we are a city of 475,000 people. PalacioMagazine.com (We are also on Facebook) is but one of a number of alternative sources that narrowcast to hyperlocal or specialized audiences. There is the Public Access Digital Network (PADNET) which provides a resource and a platform for community producers, Long Beach Local News, and coming soon, Long Beach Public Radio KLBP. Social media rounds out the distribution network for event information but it is not always the most reliable when it comes to filtered and curated news.
