Challenges to Local Journalism: A Panel Discussion
David Dreier '75 was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1980, where he served until January 2013. In Congress, he became the youngest — and the first Californian — chairman of the Rules Committee, playing a pivotal role in shaping all legislation for House debate. Dreier, a former chair of Tribune Publishing and a passionate advocate for press freedom, founded the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation to build the first public memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., celebrating press freedom and honoring slain journalists. Dreier received his B.A. from Claremont McKenna College and his M.A. in American government from Claremont Graduate University the following year. He serves as a trustee at CMC.
Jeff Klein '75 P'08 P'11 P'14 serves on the board of the nonprofit news organization, CALMATTERS. He was the cofounder and CEO of 101communications, a business-to-business multimedia publishing company. During his 15 years as a lawyer and executive at the Los Angeles Times, he served in a number of senior positions, including president of the Valley Edition, CEO of California community newspapers, senior vice president, consumer marketing and general manager news. Jeff wrote a legal column for 10 years for the L.A. Times and a business column for five years for Folio, the trade journal of the magazine business. He has a law degree from Stanford, a master’s in journalism from Columbia, and graduated summa cum laude from Claremont McKenna College where he serves on its Board of Trustees.
Scott Woolley '92 is the founding editor of LA Reported, a non-profit, local newsmagazine based in Los Angeles. He has an extensive career in journalism, including positions such as West Coast Bureau Chief for Forbes and contributing editor for Fortune.com. Woolley is also an accomplished author, known for his book The Network: The Battle for the Airwaves & the Birth of the Communications Age. He holds a BA in Economics from Claremont McKenna College and a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard University.
Mick Rhodes is an award-winning journalist, editor, songwriter, and podcaster based in the Los Angeles area. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Claremont Courier and has more than 15 years of experience as a journalist. In addition to his work in media, Rhodes is a musician and songwriter, and he uses his storytelling skills across various platforms. He is passionate about writing authentically and exploring the human experience through both journalism and music.
Terril Jones is a visiting lecturer in the Government Department at Claremont McKenna College, specializing in international journalism. He has more than 40 years of experience in journalism, including as a business and foreign correspondent and editor for Reuters, the Los Angeles Times, Forbes and The Associated Press. Jones was based in Beijing, Paris, and Tokyo for 18 years covering politics, business, international relations, sports, crime and many other topics. He was also a technology correspondent in Silicon Valley and an automotive correspondent in Detroit. He is fluent in Japanese, Mandarin and French, and holds a B.A. from Pomona College.
This panel is co-sponsored by the Dreier Roundtable at Claremont McKenna College.