The news media’s status as a check on the government is under attack. And in some cases, it’s unfriendly fire from within news outlets.
Longtime opinion editor Laura Castañeda says she’s a casualty. She says The San Diego Union-Tribune fired her last week shortly after managers nixed an editorial on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Los Angeles. She spoke with KPBS.
Laura, describe the circumstances that precipitated your firing last week from the Union Tribune.
Castañeda: Well, this was not the only incident, but we wrote an editorial, the editorial board, on the ICE raids and the protests, the peaceful protest in Los Angeles that turned violent. That editorial was pulled by the publisher, Ron Hassey, and told one of our team members that it was one sided and they were not going to publish that piece.
What is your response to the idea that the piece was one sided?
Castañeda: There is absolutely no way that I can agree with that. I work with two very professional journalists. We talked about the piece, the piece was written by the three of us and we stand by every single thing that was in that editorial. There was no way it was one sided. What's the other side?
How would you characterize the pulling of the editorial on the ICE raids in LA and the elimination of your job hours later?
Castañeda: The two go hand in hand. No matter what they say, you cannot kill an editorial at 11 or 12 o'clock in the afternoon. And then by 4 o'clock in the afternoon I can't get into my computer or my email. Nobody told me what was going on. I think I'm calling it and I get a call back from the number two guy in the company telling me that my position has been eliminated. And I point blank asked him if this was connected to that editorial not being published. And I told him that I felt that was censorship. And he insisted that one had nothing to do with the other. I don't believe it.
Were there any events before last week that signaled that management at the Union Tribune had changed course on its editorial policy?
Castañeda: Absolutely. One of the things that they did is they destroyed our Community Voices project. We had a project where we handpicked a lot of community leaders from all walks of life, different age groups, genders, races, religions. And they were writing about a variety of topics. And all of a sudden, most of them people of color and women, their voices were shut down and they would not run their pieces. They also pulled an opinion piece that a student wrote at UCSD over protests that were going on.
And what were those protests about at UCSD?
Castañeda: Well, it was when the war started between Israel and Palestine and one of the students wrote and we tried to get the other side, obviously, but trying to find the students from the Palestine group was difficult because their student group had been disbanded on campus. So it was two very different pieces and they didn't want to hear it. We've been told not to run pieces that have the word genocide, to stick to local issues. We're not going to write about this. We're not going to write about that. Well, you know what? You can't set the agenda all the time. We work in editorial and opinion. That's the job that we were hired to do. And to silence all of these voices is ridiculous because that's exactly what that project was meant to do.
So journalists and news outlets these days are scared to report and write about topics or issues even if they're true. Do you see what happened with you at the Union Tribune as part of this?
Castañeda: Yes, I do. And it is ridiculous because we are supposed to be the eyes and the ears of the community. You know, see something, say something. They are trying to set the agenda. They are trying to control the narrative. And that's not journalism. There's two sides to every story, not one. And the rich people who own these papers and television stations across the country should not be setting the agenda.
Why did you decide to speak out today?
Castañeda: Because it's not right. I have been retaliated against because I brought two claims to the Human Resources Department. Women at the San Diego Union Tribune are not treated fairly. I'm a brown woman over the age of 40. And these guys who own this paper and the three male supervisors that I have reported to don't like it. And they want to silence me. And I will not stay silent. And I hope that other journalists will speak up as well.
What's next for you?
Castañeda: You know, I've had a migraine for two days. I don't remember when was the last time I ate. And I feel sick to my stomach over this whole thing. But I am going to take a deep breath and try to figure out what my next step is. I know that I will only get involved in a situation that allows me to tell the truth because the truth matters. And I will always be a storyteller. I will always mentor journalists. I'm also the president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, San Diego Tijuana Chapter. So I hope to set a good example about journalism and where we are from here.
KPBS reached out to The San Diego Union-Tribune for comment on Castañeda’s departure from the paper. Media News Group Executive Editor Frank Pine issued the following statement: "The decision to eliminate Castañeda’s position had nothing to do with any editorial, and in fact she did not write the draft editorial she falsely claims led to her dismissal."
