Journalist Joe Mathews at the Aug. 30 Journalism Director's Forum. Photo by USC Annenberg student Jessica Zech.

By Jessica Zech Student Writer Journalist Joe Mathews, who writes about California for the New America Foundation, explained his opinions on California’s government and current fiscal issues at USC Annenberg’s Journalism Director’s Forum on Tuesday. Mathews, who said his job is to explain how "out of whack" California is and how to fix it, said the state’s system is too old and complex to manage and that California is essentially “governed day to day by ghosts.” He compared the political system to the maze-like Winchester Mystery House. “Most people just want to add more rooms, but I think we should tear down the house and design something new,” said Mathews, who co-authored “California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It.” Mathews also addressed the thin line between journalism and advocacy. He thinks it is hard enough to report, write and get people to consume his work without adding the task of organizing people to generate change. The Los Angeles Times contributor had a few words of advice for students concerned about getting a job in journalism. “The best thing to do is get your beat,” he said. “If you focus on that, people will find you [for jobs].” Journalism Director's Forums, moderated by School of Journalism director Geneva Overholser, occur on many Tuesdays throughout both the fall and spring semesters. The next forum is Sept. 6, when virtual newsroom Ebyline co-founders Allen Narcisse and Bill Momary visit for a talk on how they "aim to help the news industry maintain their mission of distributing high-quality content while also reaching their financial goals."