Episode 9 | Jacob Simas

Jacob Simas is the managing editor of The Oaklandside, an online news startup that launched in June 2020 and is overseen by Cityside, a nonprofit media organization whose portfolio also includes the online publication Berkeleyside. To support The Oaklandside, click here. Jacob’s career started in community non-profits, where as a counselor and later a program director of Horizons Unlimited, he helped organize violence prevention and arts programs for Latino youth in San Francisco. He later went on to work at New American Media, where he led a community news network called YouthWire, which helped amplify student and youth reporting in California’s news deserts. He then went on to work at Univision, where he established Rise Up: Be Heard, a journalism training program for youth and community organizers in underserved areas of California, with an emphasis on rural regions. Jacob received his bachelor’s degree in sociology from UC Berkeley and later graduated from the university’s journalism school. Jacob gave shoutouts to three awesome Bay Area news outlets: 1 - El Tímpano: a “local reporting lab” that serves Spanish-speaking residents in Oakland. Support them here and follow them on Twitter here. 2 - Richmond Pulse: a community-based, youth-led online and print newspaper that covers the East Bay town of Richmond. Support them here and follow them on Twitter here. 3 - El Tecolote: a bilingual newspaper in San Francisco based out of the city’s Mission District. Support them here and follow them on Twitter here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amdipodcast.substack.com