Just under a year ago, The Coronado News first launched a 24-hour news website and direct-mail free newspaper in Coronado.
Over the course of this past year, the three reporters, Madeline Yang, Julieta Soto and Sofie Fransen, along with other interns, have covered everything including the city government, schools, local events, business, entertainment, sports and the Navy.
The Coronado News’ reporting is honest, fair and objective. While the reporters have spent the year researching, understanding and informing the community about these topics, the three of them can all agree that they are the ones who have been the most impacted—by the community and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Each of The Coronado News reporters— Madeline Yang, Julieta Soto and Sofie Fransen— would like to say thank you to the community for opening up their home, sharing their stories and giving The Coronado News a chance.
It has been a great year, and this is just the beginning.
Madeline Yang
This was a transformative year for me. I honestly could not have asked for a better year, and I’m not just saying that. Coronado had a lot to do with it.
Creating my first ever documentary on the Tijuana sewage issue, putting together a podcast episode with Bill Walton on the homeless crisis, spending the night on the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and being flown out on an Osprey; those are all things I’ve done for The Coronado News and they’re easy to be proud of – and I am.
But what stands out to me more than the exciting things I’ve been able to be a part of while doing this job is getting to feel the heartbeat of the community.
I cover the City of Coronado and the U.S. Navy’s presence on the island. My full-time job is to listen to Coronado and what goes on every single day.
And I’ve learned that this community cares, cares to sit through a five hour city council meeting about their park, cares to submit thousands of comments about something new happening in their city, cares to fight for the city they’ve chosen as their home.
And I’ve learned that it’s mutual. The city cares about its people; the mayor and council members involve the residents, meeting with them individually, validating their experiences on this island.
I haven’t been here long, so I don’t personally understand the full story. What I know is what I’ve seen from writing stories about Jamie McArthur from the KMAC Foundation, talking to Christine Stokes from the Coronado Historical Association and sitting through almost every single city council meeting.
I know what it means to be a journalist covering a small but proud town. I aim to be objective and to tell it as it is; we are the news after all.
So, even though I’m new (and thank you for having me) and don’t know the full story, I can’t wait to get to meet the hundreds of other people from both sides of the story who I’ll have the pleasure of covering, and hopefully piece together the anatomy of this beautiful city’s beating heart.
Julieta Soto
As we bid farewell to 2023, I would like to express my gratitude to the entire Coronado community for the opportunity to learn more about what I have come to learn as a close-knit community that places importance on the things they care about.
In reporting for The Coronado News, I have learned what it means to show up for oneself and one’s village, motivating my desire to continue discovering what ignites the personal and shared passions across the island.
From the local activists working towards clean and open beaches in Coronado, to the coaches and students that work hard to be the best athletes and set new records, to passionate educators and community members at the regular school board meetings I have covered in the past months, I have witnessed commitment and responsibility to our future.
A hearty thank you too to the communities of Imperial Beach and Tijuana, whose residents have opened the doors to their home and trusted that our reporting on the binational sewage crisis can be a step toward change to improve their livelihoods.
Every single person that has picked up the phone and replied to my requests for interviews, has taught me so much about connecting, representing and amplifying the voices of la comunidad, and I look forward to connecting with more villages as we step into 2024. Have a blessed and safe Holiday season!
Sofie Fransen
It has been a joy getting to connect with the Coronado community over this past year. I primarily cover feature stories and high school sports— two beats that often serve to amplify people’s life stories, to dig deeper into the events that have made them who they are today.Â
As such, I have had the opportunity to spend time with the impactful people of Coronado, and I have so enjoyed getting to sit down, listen and understand pieces of their stories.
The profile stories of people like Jane Mitchell, Jeanne Daugherty Jameson, Bob Rutherford, Rob Arnold, Bill Huck, Tiffany Lewis and Mike Parry (to name a few), have shown me the incredible, intricate network that is Coronado, a place that is made up of individual people who each contribute so much to the community.
In covering stories like KMAC Foundation’s small boat regatta and the Department of Defense Warrior Games Challenge of Naval Station North Island, I was able to sit down and have honest conversations with the competitors about all of the challenges they’ve overcome, challenges that I could not begin to imagine. I will never forget their stories.Â
And as sports are typically a binding agent in any community, I was especially blown away by the amount of support that Coronado shows for their high school athletes.
Water polo, football, volleyball, soccer—you name the sport, I’ve written about it. And what I’ve found is that the community of Coronado is tight knit, and this is especially evident in the way that everyone shows up for their local teams.
If there’s one thing I am certain of, it’s that everyone has a story to tell.
So thank you, Coronado, and to everyone who I’ve written about in this past year. Thank you for entrusting me with the job of sharing your voice.
Know that being trusted with your stories is not a job I take lightly.
