Los Cerritos Community News, also known as Cerritos Community News, is a local weekly newspaper published in California. It covers the cities of Artesia, Bellflower, Buena Park, Cerritos, Commerce, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, East Lakewood, La Mirada, La Palma, Norwalk, and Pico Rivera. It publishes its papers on Fridays and has won fourteen Los Angeles Press Club awards.[3]
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 Front page on July 5, 2024 | |
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | Hews Media Group[1][2] |
| Publisher | Brian Hews[3] |
| Editor-in-chief | Brian Hews[1] |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | La Mirada, California |
| Circulation | 35,000 – 86,000 weekly[2][3] |
| Readership | 150,000+[3] |
| OCLC number | 46614712 |
| Website | www |
Brian Hews is the newspaper's sole editor, publisher, and owner. Much of the paper's revenue comes from mandatory public notices placed by cities and government programs. It has been criticized for publishing negative and false stories relating to local political figures.[1][4][5][6]
History
editThe newspaper received much attention in 2012 when it published a story alleging Los Angeles County Assessor John Noguez of corruption. Multiple people then spoke out about Hews' exclusive control over the newspaper and his subjectiveness being carried over into the paper. Ron Beilke, a city council member in Pico Rivera, said that Hews tended to ally with certain figures and people he likes. The former editor of the paper, who quit in 2013, Jerry Bernstein, explained that Hews would falsify and exaggerate facts about people that he did not like, without any substantiation.[1]
Hews faced a lawsuit for libel in 2017, after reporting that the director of the Central Basin Water board, Leticia Vasquez, and Montebello councilmember, Vanessa Delgado, tried to extort money from a real estate firm the year before. Vasquez denied the charges, and Hews was later fined $2,500 because he withheld evidence without any legal justification. During the lawsuit, Randy Economy, the reporter for the Noguez story, and Bernstein filed declarations claiming that Hews "regularly published false stories about public officials he feuded with or who did not support his newspaper via advertising."[7]
Hews received national scrutiny in 2014 when Jim Romenesko wrote about him in his blog, claiming that Hews copied some of sportscaster Dale Hansen's commentary on Michael Sam in his column. Hews later wrote on Twitter that it was "an honest mistake".[4][8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Aron, Hillel (August 9, 2017). "How a Small Newspaper Became a Big Weapon". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
- ^ a b "Los Cerritos Community News newspaper in Cerritos California - MondoTimes.com". Mondo Times. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Official website". Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
- ^ a b Ablaza, Kendra (April 14, 2014). "Cerritos news publisher may face $5,000 ethics fine". The Orange County Register. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ Hale-Burns, Pamela (March 13, 2013). "SEIU files complaint against 'racist' ad in Cerritos community newspaper". Press-Telegram. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ Ablaza, Kendra (April 17, 2014). "Ethics commission OKs fine against Cerritos publisher Brian Hews over inflammatory ad against politician". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ Pierce, Eric (December 12, 2017). "Newspaper publisher fined in defamation case". The Downey Patriot. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ "Cerritos publication faces scrutiny over plagiarism". The Orange County Register. February 19, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2024.