Laura Castañeda: Journalism, Trust, and Telling the Full Story of a Border Region
Laura Castañeda is a veteran journalist, educator, and community voice who has spent decades helping San Diego understand itself. Known for her work in television and print, including at the San Diego Union-Tribune, she has been a mentor to generations of reporters and a champion for more inclusive, community-centered journalism. As a leader in the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Laura brings a binational perspective to the role media plays in shaping public understanding, especially in a region where borders, cultures, and stories intersect every day.
This Episode:
What does responsible journalism look like in a region as complex as San Diego and the U.S.-Mexico border?
In this candid conversation, Laura and Grant explore how journalism has shifted from well-resourced newsrooms to a faster, thinner, and more fragmented media landscape. Laura reflects on what’s been lost and what’s at stake when communities aren’t fully represented or heard. They also dig into community trust: how it’s built through real relationships, how quickly it can erode, and why it remains essential to meaningful reporting.
Looking ahead, they explore how younger audiences consume news and the growing risks of misinformation. They call out the importance of journalism that captures the full human story, especially around immigration and life in a border region. As Laura says, journalism isn’t dead; it’s changing. For her, the path forward is to meet people where they are and stay grounded in journalism’s core role of holding power accountable and reflecting the full complexity of communities.
Key Moments:
- [3:26] How the journalism landscape has shifted from full crews to one-person newsrooms
- [10:15] The responsibility of covering the border with nuance, not just crisis
- [15:44] Why newsrooms should reflect the populations where they report
- [32:06] How journalists can build trust by showing up in communities
- [34:26] What happens to the community when strong local journalism disappears
- [41:47] What journalism gets wrong about immigration and the missing human stories
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
- National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) – Supporting and advancing Hispanic students, professionals and educators in the field of journalism
- Documenters Program – Training community members to document public meetings and strengthen local accountability
- Indian Voices – Community publication amplifying Native perspectives in San Diego
Take Action:
- Support Local Journalism – Subscribe to outlets that reflect and serve your community.
- Engage Directly – Attend community meetings or follow reporting that impacts your neighborhood.
- Seek Full Stories – Look beyond headlines to understand the people and context behind the news.
- Build Trust – Talk with others about what you’re reading and where it comes from.
- Stay Curious – Ask questions, verify sources, and value facts in a rapidly changing media landscape.
Credits:
This is a production of the Prebys Foundation
Hosted by Grant Oliphant
Co-Hosted by Crystal Page
Produced by Adam Greenfield, Tess Karesky, Edgar Ontiveros Medina, and Crystal Page
Engineered by Adam Greenfield
Production Coordination by Tess Karesky
Video Production by Edgar Ontiveros Medina
The Stop & Talk Theme song was created by San Diego’s own Mr. Lyrical Groove.
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Special thanks to the Prebys Foundation Team
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