The realities of incarcerated peoples' lives aren't regularly covered by major news outlets. But there are publications dedicated to showcasing news from inside prisons—written and sometimes produced by those living inside. Panelists Jesse Vasquez and Yukari Kane will describe the challenges of this kind of reporting and the great work that's being done.

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Jesse Vasquez is executive director of Friends of San Quentin News, an organization dedicated to elevating the voices and potential of the incarcerated by developing and supporting incarcerated-run media projects such as San Quentin News and Forward This Productions. Since he paroled in May of 2019, Jesse has been entrenched in grassroots community work addressing systemic issues in deep East Oakland. He co-authored a curriculum on the school-to-prison pipeline in the Oakland Unified School District, managed a multi-million dollar reentry housing program and led Covid relief efforts as a logistics coordinator for the Alameda County Community Food Bank.

Yukari Iwatani Kane is a founder and executive director of Prison Journalism Project. She is an author, educator and veteran journalist with 20 years of experience. She was a staff writer and foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, and her book Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs (Harpers Business) was a best-seller, translated into seven languages. At San Quentin News, where she still serves as an advisor, she developed a curriculum and reader for prison journalism. She was a member of Institute for Nonprofit News’ Emerging Leaders Council and is a 2021-2022 Reynolds Journalism Institute fellow. She is a graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

Connect:

Prison Journalism Project - Website | Prison Journalism Project - Twitter | Prison Journalism Project - Instagram

San Quentin News - Website | San Quentin News - Twitter | San Quentin News - Instagram

Friends of San Quentin News - Website | Friends of San Quentin News - Instagram | Friends of San Quentin News - Twitter

Yukari Iwatani Kane - Website | Yukari Iwatani Kane - Twitter | Yukari Iwatani Kane - Instagram