Behind the Headlines at Berkeleyside With Editor-in-Chief Zac Farber

“I saw on Berkeleyside that …” This phrase starts many of our conversations these days. The site has become an indispensable part of life in Berkeley, our most trusted source of news about the city. 

At a time when journalism is under threat across the country and thousands of print newspapers have disappeared, nonprofit Berkeleyside has not only survived but also thrived. Founded in 2009, the site now has more than 2.5 million visits a year and thousands of readers who send in tips and donations. It has published more than 25,000 stories.

How exactly did Berkeleyside grow from a scrappy blog into a national model of how to sustain ethical local journalism? What happens behind the scenes in the newsroom? What goes into creating a compelling news story? And how did Berkeleyside develop such a loyal and engaged community of readers? 

Berkeleyside Editor-in-Chief Zac Farber will answer these questions and more in an illustrated talk at Arts & Culture on Wednesday, November 5, at 7 p.m. He’ll also explain how the newsroom is structured and how the staff's professional, in-depth reporting on local issues equips readers to debate ideas about civic life, rethink assumptions, and make informed decisions.

He’ll also talk briefly about Berkeleyside’s parent organization, Cityside, and its siblings, The Oaklandside and Richmondside. 

Tickets for this program are $5 for club members and students and $10 for non-members. We expect a large audience for this program, so please register early so we can be sure to accommodate everyone comfortably. 

Three veteran journalists — Frances Dinkelspiel, Lance Knobel, and Tracey Taylor — launched Berkeleyside in 2009 in response to the cutbacks in local news that affected the Bay Area.  

Zac joined the newsroom in 2021 and became editor-in-chief last April. He previously served as editor of the Southwest Journal, a 30,000-circulation neighborhood newspaper in Minneapolis, where he led the coverage of George Floyd’s killing and launched a special reporting project to track the toll of the COVID pandemic on the community.

His impactful reporting and well-crafted articles won awards from the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists and the Minnesota Newspaper Association. Zac also worked as the web editor of Finance & Commerce and Minnesota Lawyer, where he wrote a political and legal history column; as a web producer at WCCO-TV; and as an editor at Patch.com in the Twin Cities. He is a graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul, where he led his student newspaper, The Mac Weekly.

Berkeleyside describes itself as “a groundbreaking, nonprofit digital news platform,” but many of its readers simply call it a local treasure. Invite your friends and family to join us for an in-depth look at this invaluable Berkeley institution.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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