Sometimes, the hope that follows a tragedy like the horrific attack on Dec. 2 at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino starts as a small glimmer of light.
On Oct. 20, the Los Angeles Times brought that glimmer to Cal State San Bernardino, announcing that it was donating its $10,000 cash prize for winning the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting to journalism programs at the university and nearby Cajon High School.
Davan Maharaj, the LA Times editor-in-chief and publisher, made the announcement at “San Bernardino: A Quest for Understanding,” a symposium held at the university’s Santos Manuel Student Union Theatre.
“We want to do our small part to use this money to encourage San Bernardino’s young generation of journalists, young generation of story tellers, because today, now, more than ever, our democracy needs strong journalism to survive,” Maharaj said to capacity crowd of students, faculty, staff and community members in the theatre.
“In honor of the victims and in gratitude to their loved ones who opened their doors to us during the most difficult circumstances, and in recognition of the brave civil servants and civilians who served this community throughout the tragic events, we are donating the prize money to foster journalism and community engagement here in San Bernardino,” he said.
The donation will fund a new community journalism initiative at CSUSB’s student newspaper, the Coyote Chronicle, including a student editor dedicated to reporting off-campus news.
“This will launch a community news section in print and online,” Maharaj said. “In addition, the Cajon High School journalists will be mentored by the Coyote Chronicle’s staff, and have the opportunity to pitch stories to the college newspaper.”
“We are honored to receive this gift from the LA Times, which will provide our student journalists with new opportunities to report stories of hope, progress and the amazing community spirit found in San Bernardino and Inland Empire, as well as stories of the challenges we are facing together as a community,” said Terry Ballman, CSUSB dean of the College of Arts and Letters.
Dalal Museitef, the Coyote Chronicle’s managing editor, thanked the Times during a question-and-answer period toward the end of the symposium.
“We very fortunate to have you on our side,” she said. “It’s a very exciting thing for us, and something that we look forward to.”
A portion of the donation will go toward the Times’ High School Insider program, which is working with Cajon High School’s journalism program, providing funds to sponsor 14 students to attend journalism conferences and one paid-summer internship, and introduce the “My San Bernardino” feature online.
“I look forward to reading stories about San Bernardino in the Coyote Chronicle, the Cajon Courier and the High School Insider, which is part of the LA Times,” Maharaj said. “We also intend to continue covering San Bernardino’s challenges and triumphs along side you.”
Maharaj recalled the December attack that killed 14 and wounded 22 more, telling the audience that while the Times main newsroom is 60 miles from San Bernardino, “we are your neighbors.”
“As friends and neighbors, our hearts were broken on Dec. 2, 2015,” he said. “As journalists, we had a job to do: to keep you and the rest of the world informed, to make sense of the chaos, investigate how this happened, and honor the victims and their loved ones — and document the tragedy that will, and should, never be forgotten.”
The Times launched a newspaper-wide effort, with journalists in the Inland Empire, in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Saudi Arabia and Pakistan all contributing to the reporting, writing and photography that chronicled the attack, its aftermath, the lives of the victims and their families, and the lives of those responsible for the deadliest attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.
In awarding the prize for Breaking News Reporting, the Pulitzer committee recognized the Times “for exceptional reporting, including both local and global perspectives, on the shooting in San Bernardino and the terror investigation that followed.”
To drive home the point that those who died were, indeed, neighbors and friends, Maharaj read the names of the 14 victims: Robert Adams, of Yucaipa; Isaac Amanios, Fontana, Bennett Bet-Badal, Rialto; Harry Bowman, Upland; Sierra Clayborn, Moreno Valley; Juan Espinoza, Highland; Aurora Godoy, San Jacinto; Shannon Johnson, Los Angeles; Larry Daniel Kaufman, Rialto; Damien Meins, Riverside; Tin Nguyen, Santa Ana; Nicholas Thalasinos, Colton; Yvette Velasco, Fontana; and Michael Wetzel, Lake Arrowhead.
Adams (public health education, 2011), Espinoza (biology, 2002), Johnson (environmental health science, 2004), Velasco (environmental health science, 2013) and Wetzel (biology, 2001) were alumni of CSUSB.
For more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 or visit news.csusb.edu.