The Society of Professional Journalists in Northern California hosted their annual conference at the University of San Francisco, from May 2-3. The conference, which hosted journalists from Region 11 saw footfall of hundreds of people attending more than a dozen panels and workshops.
One of the most attended panels at the conference was on a pressing issue that plagued Region 11 earlier this year – wildfires.
At the start of this year, the Los Angeles area, a critical part of SPJ Region 11, saw massive wildfires that destroyed over 16,000 homes and caused over $131 billion worth of damage. That community is still recovering from the damage left by the wildfires to this day.
SPJ Region 11’s conference honored the sacrifice and bravery of journalists covering wildfires and other natural disasters by holding a “Reporting on Crisis: Covering Fires and Disasters”workshop. The workshop was moderated by SPJ NorCal board member and San Francisco State journalism professor, Laura Moorhead, who asked panelists about the key things to keep in mind while covering wildfires.
The panelists iterated the importance of letting firefighters do their work while covering wildfires and knowing ‘when to get out of the way’.
Stephen Lam, a photographer from the San Francisco Chronicle, said journalists need to be mindful of who they approach when covering a wildfire.
Lam has covered several wildfires, including the 2023 Lahaina fires in Maui, Hawaii.
“I am a photographer, I stay out of a firefighter’s way,” he said. “I’ll walk a bit more and that’s fine, as long as they can do their job. Do not fly a drone when a firefighter is doing their job,” he added.
Lam said that while he was flying over Maui during the time of the Lahaina fires, he witnessed folks getting wires out of the way, and his pictures were “semi-evidence” that broken power lines had started the fire.
Panelists also talked about their experience covering other natural disasters and stressed the importance of building trust with sources, especially in a time of crisis.
They encouraged young journalists to stay connected with their editors and other reporters on field, through text or walkie talkies, as constant communication helped journalists determine each others’ safety, especially in situations where things are changing by the minute.
“If data doesn’t work, use text, but let me know every ten minutes where you are and if you’re safe,” said Joanne Derbor, Pulitzer-prize winning reporter and former UC Berkeley journalism professor.
Joanne Derbor, Pulitzer-prize winning reporter and former UC Berkeley journalism professor speaks to attendees at the SPJ Region 11 Conference in Fromm Hall at the University of San Francisco on Saturday, May 3, 2025. She said while reporting on natural disasters, journalists need to be flexible and learn to pivot quickly.
The panelists also shared tips about how to cultivate sources.
They said it was a myth that people didn’t want to talk. Panelists said firefighters are equally outraged about the fires and are a good source of information for journalists.
The Guardian West Coast Breaking News Reporter, Dani Anguiano, said she once found a source in PG&E who happened to be her relative, who was also outraged about the fires that were potentially started by the company. Anguiano’s relative connected her to other sources in PG&E and insurance people who talked to her and gave her critical information for her reporting.
Derbor said that sometimes being in close proximity to sources doesn’t always lead to anything and that can be frustrating while covering natural disasters.
According to Derborth, during the time of a wildfire FEMA had set up an office a floor below her workplace, but it didn’t lead her to additional information for her coverage. For this reason, she suggests journalists to be flexible and pivot quickly.
WIRED staff writer, Boone Ashworth said he encourages journalists to read books on covering natural disasters.
He recommended the book, “Inflamed: Abandonment, Heroism, and Outrage in Wine Country’s Deadliest Firestorm” by Anne E. Belden and Paul Gullixson, which covered the heroic rescue of senior citizens from senior living facilities during the deadliest firestorm that affected California’s Wine country.
Belden was part of a panel at the same conference on May 2, where she talked about turning her reporting into a book.
The workshop ended with panelists encouraging attendees to continue building trust with sources.