"In the '90s, when Steve Lopez worked at Time magazine as a columnist, newsrooms and journalists made the sharp turn from print into digital. "And it struck me that here I was sharing my opinions about things, and suddenly everybody had a soapbox." When everyone suddenly had the platform to call themselves an expert, how could he compete?"
"The answer was pretty simple: "I had the skills that I've learned as a reporter to go out and report." His trick - "hit the pavement." Lopez has taken that approach, to get out of the newsroom, away from the desk, for nearly 25 years of work at the Los Angeles Times, too. And this year, it earned him the Mike Royko Award for Commentary and Column Writing in the 2025 Poynter Journalism Prizes . (Note: I was a juror for this category.)"
"It's an approach that's worked through his career, and advice that's good to remember. Get away from the desk. Go see things for yourself. "Get out there and do some hustling," Lopez said. "24 years later, it's pretty much the same recipe." You can listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts and watch it ."
In the 1990s newsrooms shifted sharply from print to digital, creating widespread public platforms and many self-proclaimed experts. Practical reporting skills and on-the-ground work remained a competitive advantage. Ground reporting—getting out of the newsroom, leaving the desk, and "hitting the pavement"—enables discovery of original local stories that platform-driven commentary cannot replicate. Nearly 25 years of fieldwork at the Los Angeles Times produced a MacArthur Park series that received the 2025 Mike Royko Award for Commentary and Column Writing. The method emphasizes hustle, direct observation, and returning to reporting fundamentals amid a crowded digital landscape. Poynter promotes responsible AI use in journalism.
Read at Poynter
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