The daily lives of media reporters who cover local news in the lakeshore region often revolve around pounding the pavement, tedious waiting for formal events and interviews with government officials, dropping personal activities to cover breaking stories and rushing to meet deadlines.
Only on rare occasions can they put all that aside to sit down together and chew in fat in pursuit of professional enrichment.
Such an opportunity arose this week when distinguished journalist S. Lynne Walker came to Ajijic to offer a round-table workshop by arrangement of Kathleen Guerra and Manuel Bañuelos, information officers at the U.S. Consulate General in Guadalajara.
The September 27 session was hosted by the Lake Chapala Society, as an example of its purpose to foster fruitful interaction between people of diverse nationalities.
The group of ten reporters from Chapala and Ocotlán relished Walker’s expert advice on topics such as conducting interviews, putting a human focus on news stories, delving into investigative reporting and sticking to ethical principles.
“Our work as journalists is a pillar of democracy,” Walker observed. “We have a responsibility to inform the public. We work for them and act as their voices.”
She showed that she is as much a good listener as a savvy guide, displaying great sensitivity as the participants brought up the array challenges and issues they face in exercising their duties.
Walker is fluent in Spanish, easy-going and remarkably modest considering her sterling background.
A graduate of the University of Hawaii, she held positions at the major newspapers such as the Tampa Bay Times, the Sacramento Union, and the San Diego Union-Tribune before joining the Copley News Service for a 15 year-stint that brought her to Mexico City as Bureau Chief. In that post she covered the 1994 Zapatista uprising in Chiapas and the historically pivotal election of President Vicente Fox.
She later worked as Vice President of the Institute of the Americas, coordinating its media training program geared for Latin American journalists. Currently based in San Diego, California she is the founding director of Inquire First, a non-profit organization that explores the innovative use of digital tools to expand the horizon of investigative journalism.
Over the years Walker has earned extensive recognition for her in-depth reporting focused on Mexican migrants in the United States. She was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2004 for the four-part series she penned on the influx of Hispanic workers into an Illinois meat-packing industry town.
Rubbing elbows with a professional of that caliber left members of the regional press corps with a fresh mindset and inspiration to excel in their work.