We have had a tremendous year of growth in 2020 even during times which saw the world shutdown due to a pandemic and our nation rocked with protests in hopes of dealing with longtime grievances.
As 2020 comes to a close, we need to raise $50,000 to continue our momentum.
Our Court Watch Program has brought transparency, accountability, and fairness to local government throughout California. With the help of over 70 interns, we have been able to monitor and report on cases in Yolo County, Sacramento, Fresno, Riverside, San Francisco, Merced, and various other locations. Our diverse group of interns help keep those in our justice system accountable for their actions and words through their daily articles and coverage of criminal courts.
Interns come from a variety of backgrounds! From studying English at UC Davis to Political Science at UC Berkeley as well as a few from UCLA with an interest in pre-law. Our interns have been able to grow as writers and journalists while learning about the political issues that surround our criminal justice system.
With your donation, you can help us accomplish the following goals:
• Help encourage and promote students to be involved in their community by reporting on local news and experiencing the journalism field;
• As well as provide funding and mentoring to our student-directed online news publication, The Davis Vanguard at UC Davis, which is headed by a diverse group of female journalists and activists from UC Davis;
• Expand our investigation into the COVID-19 outbreaks in the incarcerated population by providing compensation to college undergrad who take on this investigative position;
• Support future staff members, who can help us better cover news in the San Francisco Hall of Justice; and
• Increase coverage in the Los Angeles area through hiring additional staff members to run a Vanguard location headed by a USC law student.
Testimonials from our interns:
Linh Nguyen, Editor-in-chief of The Davis Vanguard @ UCD - "I can say that applying for this internship is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my undergraduate college career. If I ever go on to being an award winning journalist, I will credit the Davis Vanguard for kickstarting my career."
Cailin Garcia, UCLA Class of 2022 - “Interning with the Vanguard has given me an opportunity to gain a better understanding and new perspective of the legal system. Now, I’m much more aware of injustices that happen everyday in our local courts, and I’ve been inspired to educate others.”
Roxanna Jarvis, UC Berkeley Class of 2021 - "I really enjoy this internship because it has allowed me the opportunity to learn and write about the many injustices of the current criminal justice system. Plus, I have met and worked with so many talented individuals along the way."
Anika Khubchandani, UC Davis Class of 2021 - "Being an intern for the Davis Vanguard has been an extremely rewarding experience. Not only have I been able to improve my writing skills by working alongside a Sacramento journalist, but I also have the opportunity to report on interesting court cases and learn about California’s criminal justice system as a whole."