Posts Tagged: media
News
In partnership with Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc., Capitol Weekly has constructed a series of surveys we think offer the Capitol community and beyond a chance to quickly and anonymously share their thoughts on issues that matter to them and which impact their daily work lives. Our first survey dives into a topic that has come to the fore with the massive changes at Twitter/X – where do Capitol insiders get their news?
Opinion
OPINION – While California lawmakers’ focus on addressing retail theft is much needed, it’s time we shed light on the alarming surge in burglaries, looting, and arson that is wreaking havoc on businesses across California. We have to do more to help prevent these crimes, rather than simply reacting after the damage is done – not only to protect economic stability, but more importantly, to protect the well-being of our communities.
Capitol Spotlight
When she was working as a journalist, Cynthia Moreno rejected the possibility of ever working in government communications. When the idea was suggested to her, it was a “hard no,” she said. “That’s the dark side,” she thought. But today, she is Press Secretary for Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas and considers it a dream job – one of the best positions she’s ever had.
Podcast
CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: In the year or so since billionaire Elon Musk took over Twitter (now X), the platform has changed: As a tool for reporters, X is a shadow of what Twitter once was. Lara Korte of Politico joined us to talk about the decline of the platform, how it came to be such an essential part of newsgathering and how and where to stay up-to-date on political news in the wake of X’s dysfunction.
Analysis
ANALYSIS: While most electoral contests in San Francisco are a fierce fight, incumbents up for reelection tend to have an easy run. A year ago, few thought that State Senator Scott Wiener would have difficulty defending his District 11 seat. When activist and first-time candidate Jackie Fielder came in second in the spring primary – 33% to Wiener’s 56% — people started to comment on the race.
News
Throughout the 2016 election cycle, Capitol Weekly conducted several polls. Two of them, one during the primary and the other during the general, were targeted to voters right after they had mailed in their ballots. In total, more than 80,000 Californians participated in these surveys. Now, we’ve gone back asked these voters how they feel about the candidates they backed and about the issues, and we sought their perceptions about the political climate. We’ll start with the Trump voters.
Opinion
OPINION: For years, the Silicon Valley mantra was “The Internet changes everything.” These days it’s more accurate to say “The Internet is always changing.” That’s why the conventional wisdom about online ad targeting and other digital means of finding voters can easily slip out of date. Things are always changing.
News
It’s hard to be a Republican in the California Legislature. Earlier this year when Sen. Janet Nguyen was removed from the Senate chamber, it was clear that Senate Republicans were upset for their colleague but also thrilled – thrilled – to be in the spotlight for a change.
News
In the Legislature, there are several types of amendments — amendment is a fancy word for “change” — that can be made to any number of measures, including bills, resolutions and constitutional amendments.
Analysis
Love ’em or hate ’em, reporters play an important role in the legislative process — as well as with legislative strategy and ethics — in California. Because of this influence, the media in many ways are commonly viewed as a fourth branch of government (or “fourth estate,” as the cliché goes). They don’t approve or reject legislation, but their coverage affects those who do and they often influence the fate of bills.
Image by Tero Vesalainen 
