The Nipsey Hussle story and how the L.A. Times got it right

In her speech at the Free Expression Awards, filmmaker Ava DuVernay said she “gasped” when she saw the way the L.A. Times had covered the life and death of South Los Angeles rap artist Nipsey Hussle–”the way that they had honored him on the page.” In a National Press Club Journalism Institute conversation moderated by Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams, the L.A. Times team responsible for the coverage spoke about how they approached the story to produce journalism that both stood out nationally and hit home in South L.A., and revealed what media reporter Richard Prince called the other part of the story: the one about about “the difference black journalists can make, the frustrations they must overcome and the success their efforts can bring.” Representing the Los Angeles Times in person were metro reporter Angel Jennings, assistant metro editor Erika D. Smith, and by phone staff writer Gerrick D. Kennedy.