Dear reader,
I was recently asked if being a journalist was something I dreamed about since childhood.
“Not really,” I recall saying after pausing to think for a few moments. “But now that I am one, I can’t envision myself doing anything else.”
Today marks four years since The Riverside Record published its first story, and as both a Riverside County native and the publication’s first full-time reporter, I am honored to be part of this local nonprofit newsroom’s growth and history.
Coincidentally, I started my role just a few weeks before the newsroom celebrated its third anniversary.
Over the past year, I’ve written well over 100 articles covering all things city of Riverside, from its elected officials to community events and everything in between.
For those who aren’t big fans of reading, I also focused my efforts on creating The Record’s first short-form vertical videos for social media and collaborated with local radio station KVCR to get the word out about what’s happening across my hometown.
I’ve also been invited as a speaker for classrooms, represented our newsroom at a few community events and have been asked to serve on a couple of advisory boards for other local journalism-related projects.
Separate from my work, I watched as my editor Alicia Ramirez broke the story of the sheriff’s election investigation and subsequent coverage efforts, including joining a dozen other outlets in filing a motion to unseal three warrants related to the election probe.
She’s also done an incredible job behind-the-scenes in advocating for our newsroom’s continued growth, probably in more ways than I am even aware.
All of this came to mind while I paused to think about the childhood dream question.
I never dreamed about becoming a reporter as a kid because, growing up, I didn’t have a newsroom like The Record to see what that might look like. In fact, an Inland Empire media professor has described our region as being in a “news mirage” amid the country’s declining news industry throughout my lifetime.
It’s thanks to my alma mater’s student newsroom — shout out RCC Viewpoints — that 19-year-old me fell in love with journalism and wanted to figure out a way to contribute to our local news ecosystem.
Being able to achieve that goal so early in my career with the help of the California Local News Fellowship was my adulthood dream come true.
However, my personal achievement would have never come to fruition if it were not for you, the readers, supporting Alicia’s work over the last three years. And without your continued support, I might not have had this opportunity to work as a journalist in my hometown, so please allow me to thank all of you.
For those who want to support my work and the work of The Record, you can donate here.
If you’re not able to donate, you can also sign up for our free weekly newsletter, share our work with your community and follow us on social media pages: Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, X and YouTube. Every subscriber and follower helps keep us going.
If you would like to share any news tips, feel free to reach out to me at Daniel.hernandez@riversiderecord.org or to Alicia at alicia.ramirez@riversiderecord.org.
I might not have had a local newsroom where I could see myself those many years ago, but hopefully with your help, The Record can be there to inspire — or at least inform — the next generation of civically-minded Inland Empire youth.
Being part of this team has been an incredible experience, and I look forward to what the next year has in store for us.
Sincerely,
Daniel Eduardo Hernandez
Multimedia reporter for The Riverside Record