Coachella Valley Chronicles: Ep. 12. Julie Makinen, Executive Editor, Desert Sun/USA Today Network

Julie Makinen has blazed trails from China to the war-torn Middle East. Her assignments with some of the biggest print media giants in America including the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times ultimately landed her in the top editorial role covering a region that she had owned a vacation home: the Coachella Valley. In this new episode of the Coachella Valley Chronicles with Randy Florence, your host goes in-depth with her on the challenges of running a print media outlet in the 21st century, how she and her team at Gannett's Desert Sun have worked remotely in a year of pandemic challenges and survival, and what drives her in covering this oasis that is no sleepy hollow. She also discusses the local effort to keep the perspective of the all-important institution that is the Op-Ed Page.