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Jim Boren on Muck Rack

Jim Boren

  • Executive Director, Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust
Fresno
As seen in: The New York Times, Substack, The Seattle Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The Sacramento Bee, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Florida Times-Union, San Luis Obispo Tribune, Fresno Bee, CalMatters and
Covers:  Media literacy, election disinformation, fake news, the trust gap between media outlets and news consumers.
Executive Director of Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust, former Executive Editor of The Fresno Bee, longtime political journalist.

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Jim Boren’s Biography

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Jim Boren retired in 2018 as Executive Editor/Senior Vice President of The Fresno Bee. He is now Executive Director of the Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust. In that role, he develops programs to promote media literacy, identifies strategies to fight fake news and is working to bridge the trust gap between media outlets and news consumers.

He also teaches journalism at Fresno State, and continues to do freelance writing, reporting and editing for various publications.

Jim Boren’s Journalist Portfolio

Tips on identifying 'fake news'

Tips on identifying 'fake news'

By Jim Boren Have you ever forwarded a news item to friends on Facebook only to later learn from them that th…

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Loss of Local News Hinders Ability to Watchdog Government

Loss of Local News Hinders Ability to Watchdog Government

One of the last investigations Jim Boren oversaw before he retired as executive editor of The Fresno Bee was …

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Without reporters covering city hall, school board, planning commission meetings, democracy at lo...

Without reporters covering city hall, school board, planning commission meetings, democracy at lo...

When I watch TV coverage of a news conference at the White House, I'm reminded of how reporting resources are…

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Articles

McClatchy Newspapers Hedge Fund Owners Have Forfeited Right to the McClatchy Name

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By Jim Boren
| GV Wire Verified
When I heard the news Thursday that the hedge fund that owns McClatchy’s 30 newspapers had decimated what was once one of the nation’s great newspaper groups, I immediately thought about two members of the McClatchy family I had the privilege of knowing: C.K. McClatchy and James B. McClatchy. They and their family believed deeply in honest, thoughtful, locally focused journalism.
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The price we pay for taking journalism for granted Original

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By Jim Boren
| The Seattle Times Verified
California just held a primary election. As I watched returns come in, I found myself thinking less about who won and lost than about a deeper question: What makes an informed vote possible? Not campaigns, advertising or political messaging, but the civic infrastructure that helps citizens understand issues, evaluate competing claims and assess their choices. Before people can decide whom to support, they need the tools, institutions and habits that make meaningful judgment possible.
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Paywalls Are Contributing to the Slow Death of Daily Journalism

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By Jim Boren
| GV Wire Verified
I’m using this column to rant about something that drives me bonkers as a journalist who subscribes to roughly 10 news sites: Those pesky paywalls. To be clear, I absolutely believe readers should pay for the content they consume. Quality journalism costs money. Reporters need to be out covering stories, editors need to shape and verify them, and publishers need revenue to keep the whole operation running. I have no issue paying for journalism.
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Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

I started as a high school sports writer.

Have you ever used a typewriter?

Yes. Technology in my career spans from a manual typewriter to the latest digital devices. One of my first laptops weighed several pounds.

What does it mean to be a journalist?

Journalists are the public's representative. Journalism is not about you, but you are there to present factual information to news consumers.