After working as a full-time staff reporter with the San Diego City Beat newspaper from 2002 to 2015, Kelly Davis turned to freelancing. As a freelance investigative journalist, she stayed busy covering topics ranging from homelessness to housing affordability to criminal justice reform.
Along the way, she received many writing awards and other accolades, including the 2023 Journalist of the Year award from the Society of Professional Journalists San Diego Professional Chapter. SPJ said Davis was selected in recognition for her continued attention to the inmate mortality rate in the San Diego County jail system.
The SPJ award was presented to Davis despite her position on the local SPJ board as vice president. She has served as a board member since 2016.
“San Diego SPJ has a tradition of not selecting its own board members as Journalist of the Year,” a statement said, “However, as the impact of Davis’ reporting continues to grow, the other board members agreed that we could no longer ignore the significance of her journalism to the San Diego community.”
Now, Davis has switched career directions and agreed to take a job in public relations. She is the new press secretary for Rep. Scott Peters.
“I’m fine with switching from being my own boss to working for a boss,” Davis told Times of San Diego. “Many times I felt that freelancing was a steady job because I was constantly writing several stories every week. But, I don’t see my new job as a PR job.
“Over the years, I’ve worked with hundreds of public relations folks, most of whom have been professional and responsive and understand the media’s role, even if they’re not thrilled with a story. There have been a handful of PR people who’ll try to put a spin on information or ignore requests altogether. That’s counterproductive and a disservice to readers.”
So, how will she handle a typical PR job requirement that involves encouraging favorable news coverage on behalf of her client who happens to be a politician?
After all, the SPJ Code of Ethics forbids misrepresentation and distinguishes between advocacy and news reporting.
“I wouldn’t go to work for somebody who wasn’t honest or forthcoming,” she said. “I chose to work for Scott because I admire him and feel that he’s a good person, a good elected official, who always does the right thing all the time. When you’re working for an elected official, there’s more of a responsibility to be responsive because both you and your boss are working for taxpayers.”
Davis said she reached out to Peters’ office after reading about the opening in one of the Congressman’s newsletters announcing that Daniela Contreras, who had worked for Peters since May 2020, was leaving.
“I’m thrilled to get the job,” Davis said. “I went through a formal interview process. I feel like it’s the right time to try something new. The journalism industry is shrinking. I don’t think people realize what a world without journalism would look like, but it seems we’re slowly drifting in that direction. But, news organizations aren’t hiring, instead there are layoffs. I couldn’t be a freelancer for the rest of my life. I did it for as long as I could.”
A statement said Davis will be based in San Diego and handle local media outreach, earned media planning and other writing duties.
“I’ve admired Kelly and her groundbreaking work in San Diego and beyond for years,” said Peters. “Kelly’s writing has shined a bright light on serious challenges facing our region and triggered changes in policies and attitudes. It’s an honor to me that Kelly would come and work with us.”
The statement also said, “Davis’ investigative reporting, which has appeared in outlets including The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, Voice of San Diego, The Guardian, U.S. News & World Report, The Appeal, The Intercept and Vice, has garnered multiple awards and prompted new state laws.”
Davis first began covering jail deaths in 2013 while working at San Diego City Beat. Then, in 2019, she co-authored “Dying Behind Bars,” a three-part series that ran in The San Diego Union-Tribune. The six-month reporting project examined the unusually high death toll in the local jails and the failure of officials to take action.
After the series published, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors hired a consultant to conduct an internal review, which validated the reporting. The series also prompted citizen groups to focus attention on the jail system and push for reforms.
Davis’ continued reporting has prompted investigations into the San Diego County jails by the Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board and the California State Auditor. The issue of jail conditions also was a campaign issue during the recent election for San Diego County Sheriff.
Davis earned a bachelor’s degree in English with honors from Chapman University and a master’s degree in English from Boston College.
Barb Chodos Stepping Down as Business Journal Publisher
The San Diego Business Journal, a weekly newspaper, has announced that president and publisher that Barb Chodos is leaving.
Chodos was the newspaper’s third publisher since 2016. She served for five-a-half years.
In a letter that appeared on the newspaper’s website, Chodos said, “I have accepted an incredible opportunity with the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce where I previously served on their board. I will be heading back to the desert in the next few weeks.”
In her letter, Chodos did not specify the new role at the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber. Chodos did not respond to a Times of San Diego request for comment for this story.
“I have had the privilege of getting to know so many remarkable individuals who make up our vibrant business community,” Chodos also said in her letter. “I want to express my gratitude for making the experience at SDBJ very rewarding and fulfilling. It has been an unforgettable journey.”
Prior to arriving at the Business Journal, Chodos served as vice president of sales and operations for three years at The Desert Sun, a daily newspaper owned by Gannett in Palm Springs.
Prior to Palm Springs, Chodos spent 12 years in Newark, N.J., as vice president of advertising with the state’s largest local daily newspaper, The Star-Ledger, and the state’s largest news web site, NJ.com, both owned and operated by Advance Communications.
Chodos succeeded Huntley Paton, who left in summer 2018 to relocate to Ashville, N.C., to be closer to children and grandchildren. Paton, a former publisher of the Dallas Business Journal, was named publisher in September 2016.
Prior to Paton’s arrival, Armon Mills served as SDBJ publisher from 2004 to 2010 and a second time from 2012 to 2016.
Founded in 1980, the San Diego Business Journal is owned by CBJ LP, which also operates the Los Angeles Business Journal, Orange County Business Journal and San Fernando Valley Business Journal.
Marketing Expert Henry DeVries Launches Agency Media Site
Marketing expert and book publisher Henry DeVries announced the Nov. 1 launch of an online media outlet called Agency Owner News, which is targeted to reach marketing agency owners with fewer than 200 employees.
“There are over 10,000 advertising, digital marketing and public relations agencies with under 200 employees,” says DeVries, who will serve as editor-in-chief and coordinate more than a dozen columnists. “No other news outlet serves these agency owners with helpful features on business development, managing high-performance teams, money matters and news about online and in-person events.”
DeVries is the CEO of Indie Books International, an Oceanside, Calif.-based firm that has published more than 150 business books since it was founded in April of 2004.
He also is the former president of the Roni Hicks & DeVries advertising agency, founder of Henry DeVries Communications, and assistant dean for continuing education and public programs at University of California San Diego.
For the past six years DeVries has published more than 350 online articles as a paid weekly marketing columnist for Forbes.com. He also has written columns for The San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Daily Transcript and University of California San Diego Extension Quarterly. He is the former UCSD Alumni Magazine editor and has written for San Diego Magazine, Associated Press and The New York Times.
DeVries is the author of 20 marketing books, including his latest, “Marketing With A Book For Agency Owners,” and his international bestseller from McGraw-Hill, “How To Close A Deal Like Warren Buffett” (now available in Chinese).
In addition to serving as president of the UCSD Alumni Association board of directors, DeVries served for more than 30 years on the continuing education marketing faculty of UCSD.
Brands, Advertisers, Agencies Respond Israel Crisis
Advertising and public relations communications professionals worldwide have been grappling during the past week on how to respond to the recent unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel.
Some brands, advertisers, agencies and companies have taken a wait-and-see approach when it comes to issuing statements, while others have voiced strong, full-throated support for Israel and condemnation of the attacks.
American Eagle Outfitters, a clothing retailer, displayed the Israeli flag with its blue horizontal stripes and Star of David with no words on its digital billboard in New York’s Times Square.
Several global advertising agencies have addressed support for their employees in the region. Tel Aviv is home to a number of outposts for U.S. ad agencies and tech companies. Ogilvy, McCann, Havas, Leo Burnett, Dentsu and TBWA all have offices in Tel Aviv.
As reported by Ad Age, an advertising industry trade publication, Publicis Groupe chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun said in an internal memo to the company’s team members in Israel, “The Publicis community is by your side in the face of this attack. The company will stand with you in grief, pray for the injured and share your anguish for those held hostage.”
Publicis reportedly has more than 440 staff is Israel, making it one of the largest ad agency employers in the country. Other agencies with offices in Israel include BBR Saatchi & Saatchi, Zenith and Starcom, which are working with such clients as Ford, BMW and Samsung.
Havas also has several offices in Israel. A statement from Yannick Bolloré, Havas chairman and CEO, reminded employees that “some of our collaborators will be called to duty” after Israel’s declaration of war.
Omnicom and McCann are offering assistance to staff and families wanting to leave the region and encouraging employees to use the companies’ health service resources.
According to The Drum, a London-based advertising industry online news outlet, a statement from Dentsu, which employs 50 people in Tel Aviv, said, “In these challenging times, as a global business we will continue to prioritize the safety of our people. In Israel, we have employees based predominantly in Tel Aviv and centrally in Israel. At this time, all our Dentsu people and their families in Israel are accounted for. We are in close contact with our Dentsu team and will continue to provide ongoing focused support for our people over this time.”
As reported by PR Daily, a public relations industry trade publication, some companies with operations in the Middle East have issued statements that say very little about the conflict itself and instead consist of updates on how their business has been impacted.
For example, H&M announced it has closed its 84 outlets in Israel. Carnival Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line said it will redirect routes in October. Major airlines shared news about suspended flights in and out of Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, some companies have issued personal statements from their CEOs, reported PR Daily.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon wrote, “This past weekend’s attack on Israel and its people and the resulting war and bloodshed are a terrible tragedy. We stand with our employees, their families and the people of Israel during this time of great suffering and loss.”
Dimon’s memo went father, offering an explicit call for peace. He wrote, “The human cost of wars and terrorism are enormous, with too many lives lost and changed forever. We join together in our hope to one day see the end of violence and for there to be peace throughout the Middle East.”
A statement to Goldman Sachs employees from CEO David Solomon said, “All of us at Goldman Sachs are thinking of you and your families in the face of this shocking aggression directed at the people of Israel. The dynamics in the Middle East have always been difficult and complex. But, these attacks are terrorism and violate our most fundamental of values.”
A social media post from Pfizer CEO and Chairman Albert Bourla said, “At Pfizer, we are committed to protecting and saving lives, and dedicated to the health and well-being of people around the world. Actions that are geared towards inflicting bloodshed, harm and death are antithetical to our work and to our values.”
Statements of support for Israel also were issued by the National Football League, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.
