Beacon has been trying to fix the business of journalism for two years. Its most idealistic idea may also be its most promising.
Audrey Cooper, the editor in chief of the San Francisco Chronicle, has been thinking a lot about H-1B visas. The visa type allows companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations like engineering, and it is especially relevant to the tech-heavy business population of Silicon Valley. But Cooper’s job is to tell the story of Northern California, and sending reporters abroad to talk with would-be immigrants and their families doesn’t quite fall into the priority list. “I could take it out of my budget,” she says, “but it would mean we are not going to follow our sports teams to the Olympics next year, or not going to cover a wildfire.”
