In June, the San Quentin News editorial board welcomed three officials from the Sacramento headquarters of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: CDCR Press Secretary Jeffrey Callison, Deputy Press Secretary Terry Thornton and Public Information Officer Kristina Khokhobashvili. They came to introduce themselves to the staff.
Callison, who formerly worked for National Public Radio, opened the meeting by saying, “I know you guys were apprehensive when someone told you that Sacramento is coming down to check out the paper; thinking, ‘We’re from the government. We want to help.’”
His joke relaxed the editorial board.
Prior to the meeting, editorial board members had discussed fears of being shut down or controlled by officials, or being guided into being a mouthpiece for the administration. We were wrong. San Quentin News is an inmate run newspaper, subject to review by the warden’s office for safety and security concerns.
The relationship with communication officials in Sacramento has brought a new level of professionalism to our publication. Now San Quentin News has direct access to the press office at CDCR headquarters, where knowledgeable personnel will take the time to answer questions on any topic a San Quentin News reporter wants to ask. The editorial board believes that this is unprecedented for an inmate run newspaper—having such a level of access to government officials about what is happening inside its prisons.
Even though Sacramento has installed another layer of review of the newspaper prior to going to press, the extra scrutiny offers more accuracy and objectivity of what is printed.
“OPEC respects the San Quentin News journalists for making their newspaper as accurate and objective as possible,” Khokhobashvili said.
Under the supervision of Lt. Samuel Robinson, Public Information Officer at San Quentin, San Quentin News has won widespread recognition as a legitimate and independent news organization.
Our inmate staff felt honored to be respected as professionals by the Daily Californian at UC Berkeley, Marin Independent Journal, Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee, Fresno Bee, New York Times, Washington Post, Miami Herald, Seattle Times, The Nation magazine and many newspapers that reprinted the stories about the San Quentin News.
On the website Inside CDCR, the Office of Public and Employee Communications posted an article about San Quentin News headlined “Extra! Extra! San Quentin’s inmate journalists share their talents.” Referring to the quality of the newspaper, the article said, “The paper was honored earlier this year by a chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for “accomplishing extraordinary journalism under extraordinary circumstances.”
Due to this recognition by the Society of Professional Journalists, the inmate reporters have been encouraged to form a new chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists within San Quentin.
The inmates who produce San Quentin News have always been concerned with the integrity of the information published in it. The goal of the San Quentin News editorial board is to be responsible, professional and objective. Good communication with officials in Sacramento furthers that goal.
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