AN ENTOURAGE OF professional journalists, without pencils or notepads in hand, gathered inside the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center recently for “Media Day.”
The Aug. 17 event hosted by the San Quentin chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SQ-SPJ) is designed to raise awareness and support for journalists and media programs behind prison walls.
“I hope this is the beginning of something big,” said Bostyon Johnson, who is incarcerated and has been appointed the new president of SQ-SPJ. He is also a reporter and managing editor for San Quentin News, the newspaper written by the incarcerated.
“We want to change the narrative about incarcerated people, which is often based on fake, sensationalized television depictions,” said Johnson.
Michael Bott, an investigative journalist for NBC Bay Area and longtime supporter of SQ-SPJ, escorted about 40 journalists, representatives of Bay City News, NBC, ABC, the San Francisco Standard and many other news outlets.
They assembled inside an education building on San Quentin’s lower yard and were seated in chairs set up movie theater-style, with a big screen TV in the center to view the documentary film work of SQ News, SQTV, and Forward This Productions; all of whom are run by incarcerated writers and filmmakers.
Johnson opened the event by thanking all media representatives who were able to attend and by impressing upon them how important it is to support incarcerated journalists.
“We need people to spread the word that when this new building comes, we’re going to need donations of equipment and money to continue this work inside,” he said. “If you can’t support us please spread the word to those who may be able to help.”
He then called the names of the incarcerated journalists, counted among them members of the Society of Professional Journalists, and handed them their new membership cards. Afterward, he began the presentations by unveiling snippets of documentary film footage from various incarcerated filmmakers.
Among the films presented was a heartbreaking documentary by Bernard Ballard of SQTV that details the broken process of getting a compassion release, a process for incarcerated people to leave prison early if they are terminally ill.
Sharing their work
Steven Zinnamon of SQNews shared a timely topic connecting homelessness to incarceration. There was also a sizzle reel presented by Louis Sale of Forward This, which was a colorful presentation about reconnecting to his Native Hawaiian spiritual and cultural roots through hula dancing.
Several journalists also read excerpts of their writings. Kevin D. Sawyer, a journalist who has written for numerous publications including Local News Matters, read his latest piece called, “Journalism In Prison Is Risky And Constantly Under Threat.”
Published by the Prison Journalism Project, this article captured the history of incarcerated journalism, through the lens of the groundbreaking U.S. Supreme Court decision in Turner v. Safley. Sawyer explains that despite the vast protections afforded to the incarcerated, prison administrators can still find ways to retaliate against an incarcerated journalist.
“Even when a prisoner prevails (on a First Amendment claim in court), he never really wins,” Sawyer read.
When the film screenings and readings were completed, guests were given a tour of the media center, including the SQ Newsroom, SQTV, Forward This Productions, Ear Hustle and Uncuffed podcasts. Each department gave in-depth discussions about the work they do. Among the visitors was the author of The 1619 Project, Nikole Hannah Jones.
“This was so impactful,” said Jones. “The creativity was off the charts.” Jones shared that she has family members that have been impacted by incarceration and so she is not completely surprised, but appreciative of the level of creativity.
After Jones and other guests experienced the tour, they gathered in small groups and mingled with the incarcerated and enjoyed a lunch of pizza and salad, courtesy of Bott. Several formerly incarcerated media center workers were also in attendance showing their support for SQ-SPJ. Rahsaan “New York” Thomas was released from San Quentin early last year. For several years he was the President of SQ-SPJ. He is the founder of Empowerment Avenue, a nonprofit organization that uplifts the work of incarcerated writers and artists, and he spoke at the event. “Incarcerated journalists are often marginalized for the work they do,” he said.
“Incarcerated journalists are often marginalized for the work they do. They’re often limited to writing opinion pieces when they try to get published by outside media. But they deserve to have their investigative reporting recognized also. Many of these journalists are still in prison because of the consequences of their work.
Rahsaan “New York” Thomas, founder of Empowerment Avenue
“They’re often limited to writing opinion pieces when they try to get published by outside media. But they deserve to have their investigative reporting recognized also,” said Thomas.
“Many of these journalists are still in prison because of the consequences of their work,” he added.
Journalism overcomes recidivism
The San Quentin chapter of SPJ was established in 2015, with the help of journalist and author Nancy Mullane and journalist Juan Moreno Haines, who is an award-winning journalist and the editor-in-chief at Solitary Watch.
“Having a chapter of SPJ inside San Quentin speaks to the importance of recognizing the professional quality of work that can be produced by people behind prison walls,” said Haines. The San Quentin chapter of SPJ is a necessary byproduct of the award-winning media center, which boasts a zero percent recidivism rate for those who participate in the program, according to Haines.
Earlonne Woods, for example, co-creator of the long running and award-winning Ear Hustle podcast, enjoyed a successful reentry back to society, along with many others from the media center.
The hope of this event is that many more incarcerated people can find that same reentry success by garnering more outside support, as the new California model of rehabilitation in state prisons proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom unfolds.
“Remember we need volunteers, equipment, and money to keep this program going,” said Thomas, the new president of SQ-SPJ.
“The incarcerated community of SPJ has zero dollars, nothing. We’re in the negative. In fact, we owe twelve hundred,” he said jokingly.
What started as a sunny Saturday ended in a cloud-filled sky, with a gray hue, and a drizzle of rain falling upon everyone. But the journalists were not deterred and they excitedly conversed about the prospect of forging future relationships to help change the narrative about people who are in prison. Before it was over, almost 50 people gathered for a photo to memorialize what is hoped to be the first of many media day events.
“Thank you all for coming,” said Johnson. “We hope to see you all again soon and remember we need your help changing the narrative about the work incarcerated people are doing inside.”
The post Getting the inside scoop: Media Day provides rare look at San Quentin journalism program appeared first on Local News Matters.