CBS News chief election correspondent, Robert Costa has arrived in Fresno. Costa returns to the Central Valley with The Maddy Institute as part of a speaker series.
Costa touched base in Fresno on Sunday evening with an eventful schedule planned for Monday.
At 12 p.m. on Monday, Costa sat down at a private luncheon with members of Associated Students, Inc., The Collegian, student leaders from the Media, Communications and Journalism and Political Science departments and Maddy legislative interns.
The luncheon was followed by a press briefing at 2:30 p.m. where local media outlets were invited for a 30 minute conversation to speak with Costa directly.
Costa spoke about how it was good to be back in town, especially right after election season.
“It’s a perfect moment after an election to come to Fresno State and to convene a conversation… I really believe in this moment, it’s really important to have a dialogue between journalists and members of the public,” Costa said.
He also shared his experience covering the election at a national level and how it’s crucial to make connections and talk to people.
“You have to talk to people all the time,” Costa said. “I think the job of a reporter is to stay in touch with the people as much as possible, and to talk to the principals as much as possible as you know.”
Costa said that conversing with the public is the best way to build trust with the audience. At a time where media is so easily consumable, the ability to have confidence in reporters is needed.
“The press is under siege a lot in terms of our institutional trust, and it’s important for journalists at any organization to get out there and to be available for questions from the public, not just in Washington, but in places like the central valley here in California,” Costa said.
The key takeaway Costa made note of at the end of the conversation was that California and the Central Valley as a whole are a huge part of the political world.
“I was with Kevin McCarthy, the former speaker [of the house] on election night 2010, going back 14 years and I’ve got to know him well,” Costa said. “Devin Nunes, Jim Costa, [David] Valadao, all of these people have been major players in Washington. California is such a big part of the national political conversation…Governor Newsom is a potential presidential contender. The list goes on and on. California is going to remain part of the story, if not the story.”
To conclude his visit to Fresno State, Costa will speak about the dynamics of the white house and his time as a journalist at 5:30 p.m. at the Satellite Student Union.
