The threat and the irony of the San Francisco stringer raid
Columbia Journalism Review
May 14, 2019
BRYAN CARMODY, a freelance journalist in San Francisco, often works the night shift, shooting videos of car crashes, police chases, structure fires, and other breaking news events, and selling them in the morning to the Bay Area’s local television stations ...
The real cost of Devin Nunes' defamation lawsuit
Columbia Journalism Review
April 12, 2019
CONGRESSMAN DEVIN NUNES’ LATEST LAWSUIT against people he thinks are making him look bad--this one, filed April 8, seeks $150 million in damages from The McClatchy Company and anti-Trump Republican strategist Liz Mair—appears unlikely to succeed ...
"As scary as it is, that's our job": Preparing journalists for California's next wildfire
Columbia Journalism Review
December 10, 2018
LIZZIE JOHNSON, A REPORTER with the San Francisco Chronicle, drove into Paradise, California, early in the afternoon of November 8. The Camp Fire had spread to the area a few hours earlier. At the southwest edge of town ...
California massacre sparks gun debate — again — with a community torn over the path forward
The Washington Post
November 10, 2018
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Justin Bouse survived the mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill here on Wednesday by hiding behind a stairwell and fleeing with his girlfriend Nicole through the kitchen and out the back door.
Reporters shouldn't profile mass shooters, say experts
Columbia Journalism Review
August 31, 2018
ON MONDAY, THE DAY AFTER a professional video gamer shot 13 people at a Madden football tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, The Washington Post published a profile of the gunman. ...
The "really dangerous" precedent for reclaiming public records
Columbia Journalism Review
May 23, 2018
“NO TAKE-BACKS” is a common rule on the elementary school playground. It is not the rule when it comes to public records in the state of California, where public agencies can and do try to claw back documents after they've released them ...
'It was not sufficient': California officials reevaluate evacuations after deadly mudslides
The Washington Post
Feb. 3, 2018
MONTECITO, Calif. -- When the final mandatory evacuation order lifted after mudslides struck this coastal hillside neighborhood, Dina Landi returned to her home this week anticipating the damage she might find. ...
'It was just wiped clean': Reckoning with the toll of the California mudslides
The Washington Post
Jan. 12, 2018
When the flooding began early Tuesday, Alice and James Mitchell were still at their home in Montecito, Calif., just a mile from the beach. The couple had celebrated James's 89th birthday Monday, but they also had spent part of the day preparing to evacuate ...
'Evacuation fatigue' caused some to ignore peril of mudslides
The Washington Post
Jan. 11, 2018
MONTECITO, Calif. -- Hannah Troy knew better. But she was tired, as were many here after the warnings, the evacuations, the close calls and the worry of recent weeks. ...
Fresno Bee endures outrage to tell important stories about sex education
Columbia Journalism Review
Nov. 30, 2017
PRINT JOURNALISTS NEVER seem entirely comfortable writing about sex. Nor do they seem comfortable writing about teenagers, at least without adopting the point of view of their parents.
This year, the Fresno Bee waded into the confluence of these two fraught streams ...
Fast-growing startup aims to 'replace the sports page'
Columbia Journalism Review
Oct. 11, 2017
Alex Mather has what he calls, with a touch of understatement, “pretty big goals” for his subscription-based sports news startup, The Athletic. “The best case is that we can really catch on,” he says, “and we can replace the sports page in every single city on the continent.” ...
Turnaround at San Francisco Chronicle shows way for legacy newspapers
Columbia Journalism Review
Sept. 11, 2017
The hiring freeze started right after Jill Tucker was hired by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006. The paper was losing tens of millions of dollars a year and shedding staff through buyouts and attrition. Layoffs started a couple of years later. ...
Viral Golden State Warriors story shows media needs to play better defense
Columbia Journalism Review
June 16, 2017
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about the Golden State Warriors this season, it’s that they’re extremely good at basketball. If there’s a second thing, it might be that they don’t like Donald Trump. ...
"I thought I'd give it a shot": Two sportswriters find success crowdfunding
Columbia Journalism Review
March 27, 2017
It’s a heady time for publishers of subscription-supported news. The New York Times added more than half a million paying online readers in 2016, and its digital subscription revenue was up 17 percent ...
Q&A: How Shea Serrano went from middle school science teacher to NYT bestselling author
Columbia Journalism Review
March 10, 2017
On the morning of February 22, Shea Serrano, a staff writer at The Ringer, picked a fight with Donald Trump on Twitter. He didn’t do it for retweets or clicks or to amuse his friends. He wanted to win. ...
Time for a new game plan for covering high school football
Columbia Journalism Review
Feb. 3, 2017
The question “Would you let your son play football?” is now a staple of Super Bowl media day, and of just about every substantive interview with a current or former NFL player. ...
Bill Watkins forecasts he will go fishing in Tennessee
Ventura County Star
Nov. 9, 2016
In the spring of 2009, the faculty and administration at California Lutheran University gathered for a retreat, as it does every year. The university president, Chris Kimball, approached the dean of the business school, Chuck Maxey, with an idea. ...
Medical marijuana collective raided, CEO arrested
Pacific Coast Business Times
Nov. 8, 2016
Sespe Creek Collective, one of the tri-county region’s biggest and most visible medical marijuana providers, was raided by Ventura County law enforcement ...
Public warming to more housing, Ventura County panel says
Ventura County Star
Oct. 5, 2016
National Community Renaissance is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit developers of affordable and senior housing. It has built in every county in Southern California, said CEO Steve PonTell, with one exception ...
How the fight over undercover videos is pitting Planned Parenthood against the mainstream media
Columbia Journalism Review
Aug. 5, 2016
For the past year, Planned Parenthood and its supporters have been locked in a bitter legal and political battle with the ...
Anonymous sourcing and the trouble with NBA trade "scoops"
Columbia Journalism Review
Feb. 18, 2016
There is, perhaps, no more fertile ground for scoops than sports journalism in the days leading up to a trade deadline ...
In locker room credentialing, the lines are often blurred
Columbia Journalism Review
Dec. 11, 2015
There’s an old saw in sports locker rooms, an unwritten code that was sometimes actually written and posted above the door ...
A veteran California reporter on why she's excited to join Politico
Columbia Journalism Review
Oct. 5, 2015
It’s been eight years since Politico launched just outside the nation’s capital and started to change the way DC politics is covered ...
Bill Simmons is leaving Grantland. Can the site survive without him?
Columbia Journalism Review
May 11, 2015
Bill Simmons and ESPN launched Grantland on June 8, 2011. To say the journalistic-literary world hated it would be an overstatement ...
As long as the NCAA refuses to pay players, journalists need to cover it more critically
Columbia Journalism Review
Nov. 3, 2014
University of Georgia running back Todd Gurley, once a Heisman Trophy frontrunner, was suspended ...
Jake "The Snake" makes Houdini comeback to get back into ring
Ventura County Star
July 2, 2014
Jake “The Snake” Roberts, professional wrestling legend, is standing in the lobby of Oceanview Pavilion in Port Hueneme.
Federal judge: Delayed access to court records raises First Amendment concerns
Columbia Journalism Review
April 28, 2014
It’s been a routine for generations of legal beat reporters: Every weekday afternoon, at courthouses across the United States ...
Retired Ventura County Sheriff sues for supplemental pension
Pacific Coast Business Times
Oct. 18, 2013
Former Ventura County Sheriff Bob Brooks, whose $283,000 pension is among the largest of any retired government employee ...
James Ennis learning about the NBA game during Summer League
Ventura County Star
July 17, 2013
LAS VEGAS — James Ennis is a tough grader, at least when it comes to his own play.
This NBA Finals highlights the future of the NBA
Ventura County Star
June 5, 2013
Welcome to the future of the NBA. It arrives Thursday, when the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat start their Finals series.
Ventura attorney represents high-profile clients in a red-hot area of the law
Ventura County Star
March 23, 2013
The client was known online as Commander X, the leader of the People's Liberation Front, a group allied with ...
Ex-Oxnard investor Lukens arrested in Chicago on suspicion of theft by deception
Ventura County Star
Dec. 14, 2009
Donald Lukens, accused of running a $47 million Ponzi scheme in Ventura County in the 1990s, could spend the holidays in jail ...
Brooks is told to reinstate Dean
Ventura County Star
March 22, 2009
Ventura County Sheriff Bob Brooks fired Geoff Dean, one of his chief deputies, because Dean began planning a run for sheriff ...
Political era will end in January when a new county supervisor takes office
Ventura County Star
Dec. 14, 2008
It's no small task, putting a 32-year political career in boxes.
When rocker Vince Neil comes to play golf for charity, Simi Valley becomes an altered reality
Ventura County Star
May 6, 2008
Friday morning at Lost Canyons Golf Club in Simi Valley. There's a charity tournament starting in a couple of hours ...
As debate ends, the spin cycle begins
Ventura County Star
May 4, 2007
They really do call it the "Spin Room."
Columbia Journalism Review
May 14, 2019
BRYAN CARMODY, a freelance journalist in San Francisco, often works the night shift, shooting videos of car crashes, police chases, structure fires, and other breaking news events, and selling them in the morning to the Bay Area’s local television stations ...
The real cost of Devin Nunes' defamation lawsuit
Columbia Journalism Review
April 12, 2019
CONGRESSMAN DEVIN NUNES’ LATEST LAWSUIT against people he thinks are making him look bad--this one, filed April 8, seeks $150 million in damages from The McClatchy Company and anti-Trump Republican strategist Liz Mair—appears unlikely to succeed ...
"As scary as it is, that's our job": Preparing journalists for California's next wildfire
Columbia Journalism Review
December 10, 2018
LIZZIE JOHNSON, A REPORTER with the San Francisco Chronicle, drove into Paradise, California, early in the afternoon of November 8. The Camp Fire had spread to the area a few hours earlier. At the southwest edge of town ...
California massacre sparks gun debate — again — with a community torn over the path forward
The Washington Post
November 10, 2018
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Justin Bouse survived the mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill here on Wednesday by hiding behind a stairwell and fleeing with his girlfriend Nicole through the kitchen and out the back door.
Reporters shouldn't profile mass shooters, say experts
Columbia Journalism Review
August 31, 2018
ON MONDAY, THE DAY AFTER a professional video gamer shot 13 people at a Madden football tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, The Washington Post published a profile of the gunman. ...
The "really dangerous" precedent for reclaiming public records
Columbia Journalism Review
May 23, 2018
“NO TAKE-BACKS” is a common rule on the elementary school playground. It is not the rule when it comes to public records in the state of California, where public agencies can and do try to claw back documents after they've released them ...
'It was not sufficient': California officials reevaluate evacuations after deadly mudslides
The Washington Post
Feb. 3, 2018
MONTECITO, Calif. -- When the final mandatory evacuation order lifted after mudslides struck this coastal hillside neighborhood, Dina Landi returned to her home this week anticipating the damage she might find. ...
'It was just wiped clean': Reckoning with the toll of the California mudslides
The Washington Post
Jan. 12, 2018
When the flooding began early Tuesday, Alice and James Mitchell were still at their home in Montecito, Calif., just a mile from the beach. The couple had celebrated James's 89th birthday Monday, but they also had spent part of the day preparing to evacuate ...
'Evacuation fatigue' caused some to ignore peril of mudslides
The Washington Post
Jan. 11, 2018
MONTECITO, Calif. -- Hannah Troy knew better. But she was tired, as were many here after the warnings, the evacuations, the close calls and the worry of recent weeks. ...
Fresno Bee endures outrage to tell important stories about sex education
Columbia Journalism Review
Nov. 30, 2017
PRINT JOURNALISTS NEVER seem entirely comfortable writing about sex. Nor do they seem comfortable writing about teenagers, at least without adopting the point of view of their parents.
This year, the Fresno Bee waded into the confluence of these two fraught streams ...
Fast-growing startup aims to 'replace the sports page'
Columbia Journalism Review
Oct. 11, 2017
Alex Mather has what he calls, with a touch of understatement, “pretty big goals” for his subscription-based sports news startup, The Athletic. “The best case is that we can really catch on,” he says, “and we can replace the sports page in every single city on the continent.” ...
Turnaround at San Francisco Chronicle shows way for legacy newspapers
Columbia Journalism Review
Sept. 11, 2017
The hiring freeze started right after Jill Tucker was hired by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006. The paper was losing tens of millions of dollars a year and shedding staff through buyouts and attrition. Layoffs started a couple of years later. ...
Viral Golden State Warriors story shows media needs to play better defense
Columbia Journalism Review
June 16, 2017
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about the Golden State Warriors this season, it’s that they’re extremely good at basketball. If there’s a second thing, it might be that they don’t like Donald Trump. ...
"I thought I'd give it a shot": Two sportswriters find success crowdfunding
Columbia Journalism Review
March 27, 2017
It’s a heady time for publishers of subscription-supported news. The New York Times added more than half a million paying online readers in 2016, and its digital subscription revenue was up 17 percent ...
Q&A: How Shea Serrano went from middle school science teacher to NYT bestselling author
Columbia Journalism Review
March 10, 2017
On the morning of February 22, Shea Serrano, a staff writer at The Ringer, picked a fight with Donald Trump on Twitter. He didn’t do it for retweets or clicks or to amuse his friends. He wanted to win. ...
Time for a new game plan for covering high school football
Columbia Journalism Review
Feb. 3, 2017
The question “Would you let your son play football?” is now a staple of Super Bowl media day, and of just about every substantive interview with a current or former NFL player. ...
Bill Watkins forecasts he will go fishing in Tennessee
Ventura County Star
Nov. 9, 2016
In the spring of 2009, the faculty and administration at California Lutheran University gathered for a retreat, as it does every year. The university president, Chris Kimball, approached the dean of the business school, Chuck Maxey, with an idea. ...
Medical marijuana collective raided, CEO arrested
Pacific Coast Business Times
Nov. 8, 2016
Sespe Creek Collective, one of the tri-county region’s biggest and most visible medical marijuana providers, was raided by Ventura County law enforcement ...
Public warming to more housing, Ventura County panel says
Ventura County Star
Oct. 5, 2016
National Community Renaissance is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit developers of affordable and senior housing. It has built in every county in Southern California, said CEO Steve PonTell, with one exception ...
How the fight over undercover videos is pitting Planned Parenthood against the mainstream media
Columbia Journalism Review
Aug. 5, 2016
For the past year, Planned Parenthood and its supporters have been locked in a bitter legal and political battle with the ...
Anonymous sourcing and the trouble with NBA trade "scoops"
Columbia Journalism Review
Feb. 18, 2016
There is, perhaps, no more fertile ground for scoops than sports journalism in the days leading up to a trade deadline ...
In locker room credentialing, the lines are often blurred
Columbia Journalism Review
Dec. 11, 2015
There’s an old saw in sports locker rooms, an unwritten code that was sometimes actually written and posted above the door ...
A veteran California reporter on why she's excited to join Politico
Columbia Journalism Review
Oct. 5, 2015
It’s been eight years since Politico launched just outside the nation’s capital and started to change the way DC politics is covered ...
Bill Simmons is leaving Grantland. Can the site survive without him?
Columbia Journalism Review
May 11, 2015
Bill Simmons and ESPN launched Grantland on June 8, 2011. To say the journalistic-literary world hated it would be an overstatement ...
As long as the NCAA refuses to pay players, journalists need to cover it more critically
Columbia Journalism Review
Nov. 3, 2014
University of Georgia running back Todd Gurley, once a Heisman Trophy frontrunner, was suspended ...
Jake "The Snake" makes Houdini comeback to get back into ring
Ventura County Star
July 2, 2014
Jake “The Snake” Roberts, professional wrestling legend, is standing in the lobby of Oceanview Pavilion in Port Hueneme.
Federal judge: Delayed access to court records raises First Amendment concerns
Columbia Journalism Review
April 28, 2014
It’s been a routine for generations of legal beat reporters: Every weekday afternoon, at courthouses across the United States ...
Retired Ventura County Sheriff sues for supplemental pension
Pacific Coast Business Times
Oct. 18, 2013
Former Ventura County Sheriff Bob Brooks, whose $283,000 pension is among the largest of any retired government employee ...
James Ennis learning about the NBA game during Summer League
Ventura County Star
July 17, 2013
LAS VEGAS — James Ennis is a tough grader, at least when it comes to his own play.
This NBA Finals highlights the future of the NBA
Ventura County Star
June 5, 2013
Welcome to the future of the NBA. It arrives Thursday, when the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat start their Finals series.
Ventura attorney represents high-profile clients in a red-hot area of the law
Ventura County Star
March 23, 2013
The client was known online as Commander X, the leader of the People's Liberation Front, a group allied with ...
Ex-Oxnard investor Lukens arrested in Chicago on suspicion of theft by deception
Ventura County Star
Dec. 14, 2009
Donald Lukens, accused of running a $47 million Ponzi scheme in Ventura County in the 1990s, could spend the holidays in jail ...
Brooks is told to reinstate Dean
Ventura County Star
March 22, 2009
Ventura County Sheriff Bob Brooks fired Geoff Dean, one of his chief deputies, because Dean began planning a run for sheriff ...
Political era will end in January when a new county supervisor takes office
Ventura County Star
Dec. 14, 2008
It's no small task, putting a 32-year political career in boxes.
When rocker Vince Neil comes to play golf for charity, Simi Valley becomes an altered reality
Ventura County Star
May 6, 2008
Friday morning at Lost Canyons Golf Club in Simi Valley. There's a charity tournament starting in a couple of hours ...
As debate ends, the spin cycle begins
Ventura County Star
May 4, 2007
They really do call it the "Spin Room."
More about Tony
Awards
• Los Angeles Press Club: 2014, first place award in the Hard News category for newspapers under 50,000 circulation, for an article in the Pacific Coast Business Times that uncovered a lawsuit by the retired Ventura County sheriff to increase his pension.
• Society of Professional Journalists: 2010 Sigma Chi award for deadline reporting (non-daily publication), for editing the Pacific Coast Business Times’ coverage of the rescue of Pacific Capital Bancorp.
• California Newspaper Publishers Association: Contributed to coverage for the Ventura County Star that won two consecutive CNPA general excellence awards in 2005 and 2006.
Training
• Ventura County Star multimedia training
• Investigative Reporters and Editors Better Watchdog Workshop, a two-day session on investigative reporting techniques.
• IRE Money in Politics, a two-day session on campaign finance reporting.
• Reynolds Center workshop on business reporting at the University of Southern California.
Skills
• Deep knowledge of local government process and politics in California.
• Proficient in every type of newswriting, including investigative stories, features, breaking news, analysis and opinion.
• Excellent knowledge of AP style and copy editing principles.
• Experienced print newspaper designer. Proficient in Adobe InDesign; working knowledge of Photoshop.
• Los Angeles Press Club: 2014, first place award in the Hard News category for newspapers under 50,000 circulation, for an article in the Pacific Coast Business Times that uncovered a lawsuit by the retired Ventura County sheriff to increase his pension.
• Society of Professional Journalists: 2010 Sigma Chi award for deadline reporting (non-daily publication), for editing the Pacific Coast Business Times’ coverage of the rescue of Pacific Capital Bancorp.
• California Newspaper Publishers Association: Contributed to coverage for the Ventura County Star that won two consecutive CNPA general excellence awards in 2005 and 2006.
Training
• Ventura County Star multimedia training
• Investigative Reporters and Editors Better Watchdog Workshop, a two-day session on investigative reporting techniques.
• IRE Money in Politics, a two-day session on campaign finance reporting.
• Reynolds Center workshop on business reporting at the University of Southern California.
Skills
• Deep knowledge of local government process and politics in California.
• Proficient in every type of newswriting, including investigative stories, features, breaking news, analysis and opinion.
• Excellent knowledge of AP style and copy editing principles.
• Experienced print newspaper designer. Proficient in Adobe InDesign; working knowledge of Photoshop.