USC Annenberg journalism professors Robert Hernandez and Willa Seidenberg discussed the impact of local news reporting at the “News in Your Backyard” session on Oct. 28 during Parents Weekend.

Journalism professor Judy Muller moderated the conversation and Q&A. Professor Seidenberg strongly advocated “hyperlocal” reporting in South Los Angeles.  The concept pushed her students to venture out to areas they never dreamed of going. Many found that their fear of gangsters and robberies was more than South Los Angeles warranted. They instead discovered the “vibrancy, culture, and richness within that community,” according to Professor Seidenberg. Seidenberg emphasized that professional journalists are those that go beyond the norm for content. Often the most powerful stories are those that the writer hunts for rather than the most obvious ones. Professor Hernandez carried on the discussion on a similar note. The sights, smells, and sounds he encountered on his route through Jefferson Park inspired him to create the “On Jefferson” project. The assignment had students put together a multimedia piece based on Hernandez’s route. One student profiled a father who created a boxing center as an alternative to gang life for young children.

Another student told the story of the women selling 25 cent tamales and Tylenol tablets in MacArthur Park.

The projects are a means of hijacking technology and applying it to community journalism. This is what modern journalism looks like,” Hernandez said.