Richmond Confidential

Robert Rogers grew up in Orange County, CA and has a newspaper reporting background (San Bernardino County Sun). After high school, he packed up his ’88 Honda CRX and moved to South Lake Tahoe with dreams of living the mellow life of a snowboarder and a seasonal worker. While there, he developed a love of literature (especially John Steinbeck). In 2005, he graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Political Science. At Berkeley, he hopes to become a multimedia whiz. He also has a weakness for David Halberstam’s history books.

Recent Comments

• Posted on: City agency looks to stop violence before it starts

  Shyla, thanks for reading and commenting. This agency certainly has potential for improving the city based on the success of similar programs in other parts of the country. Robert #

  November 13, 2009 at 6:08 pm

• Posted on: In a city where shooting is routine, residents unruffled by gunfire

  I'll not bore anyone further by detailing the different forms, styles and perspectives that journalism takes, nor will I take more than a second in alerting readers to the video images that sit directly above this short story. As the images unquestionably confirm, this is no piece of fiction. Please continue to read and comment. Hopefully future articles will be more to your liking. Best, Robert #

  November 17, 2009 at 5:07 pm

• Posted on: In a city where shooting is routine, residents unruffled by gunfire

  Nikki, Thanks very much for reading and responding. At Richmond Confidential, we are experimenting with fresh approaches to storytelling. In this case, for instance, the aim is for the multimedia elements to work together in a symbiotic way, with the direct quotes, etc., provided in the video element, while the text element is an unorthodox recap that glimpses aspects not captured in the visuals or audio. At least those were the aims here. I wish to provide some insight into our methods and intent as a way of being as transparent, open and engaging to our growing readership as possible. We think these are the kinds of innovations that traditional media must make. We hope, through effort and experimentation, to continue to advance beyond traditional storytelling conventions. Whether our efforts are effective is a determination, of course, left ultimately up to you, the readers/viewers. Thanks again, Robert #

  November 18, 2009 at 1:17 pm

• Posted on: In a city where shooting is routine, residents unruffled by gunfire

  JT, No offense taken. Thanks again for taking the time to read, write and generally engage with us here at Richmond Confidential. It is appreciated. Thank you, Robert #

  November 18, 2009 at 5:03 pm

• Posted on: In a city where shooting is routine, residents unruffled by gunfire

  Felix, Thank you for reading and providing a resident's perspective. At its core, this is a service-learning project meant to benefit the community of Richmond and the field of journalism. Thanks again. Your input is appreciated. Robert #

  November 19, 2009 at 4:25 pm

• Posted on: In a city where shooting is routine, residents unruffled by gunfire

  Lee, You can see for yourself how big the hole is at 1:07, among other frames during the video. My estimate was a quarter. Maybe it was a tad smaller. That's possible. Thanks for reading and responding! Robert #

  November 22, 2009 at 10:30 am

• Posted on: In a city where shooting is routine, residents unruffled by gunfire

  Thanks for reading and commenting. I will say that there is an argument to be made for speaking of Richmond as a single unit, ie. a city, that struggles with problems such as violent crime. I'm not sure whether it's a good idea to suggest that these problems are those of some communities within the city and not others. While residents in some neighborhoods may fear violent crime less, their tax dollars and elected leaders are engaged with these problems. Dozens of homicides have occurred outside the Iron Triangle this year. We will continue to strive to be responsible, specific journalists. Thank you. Robert #

  November 30, 2009 at 11:14 am

• Posted on: Councilman Butt visits Berkeley, sounds off on issues

  Councilman Butt, Thank you for being willing to have this conversation. Hopefully, the benefits of this learning experience will continue to be passed on to our Richmond readers. Best, Robert Rogers #

  December 16, 2009 at 10:59 am

• Posted on: Councilman Butt visits Berkeley, sounds off on issues

  Richmond resident, Thanks so much for reading and responding. Your input is valued. We are striving to better serve the city's readers. I did mention Butt's e-communications, although it was brief and near the end of the article. It reads: "Butt, who maintains his own slickly-produced Web site and writes a popular e-newsletter to thousands of constituents, said both government and media had potential to become more transparent and interactive through use of the Internet." As for the vagueness, we may be guilty. My article was careful not to say that Butt's answers were vague, but that "some" of the student reporters viewed it that way. As for our questions, again, you may very well have a point that they lacked some clarity. I probably should have included something about the substance of the questions. Thanks again. We are lucky to have readers as insightful as yourself. Best, Robert Rogers #

  December 18, 2009 at 1:09 pm

• Posted on: Local police lead major drug bust in 'Iron Triangle'

  Thanks for reading and commenting. I will say this. You may indeed be right that the police's number is inflated. I do not know. This short news article is not the place to parse the finer details of street value estimates. As for your cocktail-napkin calculations, I fear that they are far more questionable than the police figures. Leaving aside your "cost per gram" estimates, you give no mention whatsoever of production techniques that bulk up the quantity of the product. How much does one gram of uncut cocaine yield? Is its quantity doubled by "cutting" it with cheap additives? Tripled? Not sure. Neither are you. So, in short, the number may be inflated. I just don't know. Maybe I should do a big story on the city's efforts in the war on drugs? Of course, you don't know either. While relying on official sources for estimates has its own drawbacks, certitude in your own inexpert estimate is much more dubious. Reporters should tread on such ground with extreme care. Thank you again for reading and writing, Best, Robert Rogers #

  December 28, 2009 at 12:47 pm

• Posted on: Struggle between Chevron and city intensifies

  David, I'm not exactly sure why that line strikes you as "one-sided reporting." Can you explain? Thanks for reading and writing, Best, Robert #

  December 31, 2009 at 2:53 pm

• Posted on: Story time for a special season

  Thanks so much for reading and commenting. We'll keep an eye out and try to bring you fresh looks at future library programs. Best, Robert #

  December 31, 2009 at 5:49 pm

• Posted on: A look ahead at November's mayoral prospects

  Councilman, We have addressed those points. Thank you, Robert #

  January 18, 2010 at 12:55 pm

• Posted on: Richmond Tale: Local building tells story on its wall

  Jean, Thanks so much for that detail. I wish I had picked up on that before. Thanks again, Robert #

  February 21, 2010 at 8:38 pm

• Posted on: Local public activists honored for service

  Lydia, Thanks so much. I really enjoy reporting in this community. Look forward to meeting you too. Best, Robert #

  February 22, 2010 at 8:39 am

• Posted on: Local public activists honored for service

  Corky, Thank you for reading and responding. Reporting in this community is my pleasure. Best, Robert #

  February 25, 2010 at 9:25 pm

• Posted on: Black men take to streets with message of peace

  Lydia, Thanks so much for reading and writing. Loud and proud, indeed! As you may imagine, Rev. Pinkard prefaced his comments by assuring me that present company was excluded from his unsparing criticism. Best, Robert #

  March 2, 2010 at 9:40 am

• Posted on: Peace march draws up to 1,000 to church, civic center

  I want to thank everyone for reading and sharing their comments. Richmond Confidential continues to grow in readership and range of issues. Thank you, Robert rrogers@berkeley.edu #

  March 7, 2010 at 8:09 pm

• Posted on: Chevron Corp. steps up donations to local groups

  Jeff, Thanks for reading and commenting. Chevron's press release does not list any contributions to that entity. However, it does show that Chevron gave Build it Green and Solar Richmond a total of $200,000. Thanks again, Robert #

  March 15, 2010 at 10:28 am

• Posted on: City honors publisher of local black newspaper

  Lady Cage and Kelly, Thank you so much for reading and responding. Mr. Whitmore's work in this community has left a lasting positive legacy. Best, Robert #

  March 19, 2010 at 11:14 am

• Posted on: Women gather to celebrate the past - and the future

  Bianca Butler, Thanks so much for reading and responding. We love this kind of feedback, because it helps us to improve. We hope to continue to improve in our ability to bring visitors a fresh, uplifting look at this community. Best, Robert Rogers #

  March 23, 2010 at 5:03 pm

• Posted on: L.I.F.E. in the Iron Triangle

  Stephanie and Mr. Hawkins, Thanks so much for reading and responding. Young Mr. Hawkins, yes, keep up the grades and you can be the big man at Cal in a few years. Also, send me your email address and I can send you a whole bunch more photos of you that I got that day. my email is rrogers@berkeley.edu Best, Robert #

  April 4, 2010 at 1:05 pm

• Posted on: 'Most of my childhood memories were tragic events'

  Thanks so much to everyone who read and responded. Thanks also to Phon and the RYSE Youth Center for sharing with the community. We hope this is the beginning of a more robust effort to attract and publish input from community members on richmondconfidential.org, especially for local youth. Best, Robert Rogers #

  April 12, 2010 at 10:46 am

• Posted on: Former Obama official weighs in on Richmond

  Jackie, Thanks so much for reading, responding, and reporting those important details. Best, Robert #

  April 19, 2010 at 3:56 pm

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