Louis Freedberg is a senior reporter and adviser to California Watch, a nonprofit journalism venture based at the Center for Investigative Reporting. Prior to joining California Watch, he worked at the San Francisco Chronicle as a columnist, editorial board member, Washington correspondent, and education reporter. Before moderating Zócalo’s panel on teacher rankings, he took our In The Green Room Q&A.
Q. What is the last habit you tried to kick?
A. Yelling at my kids.
Q. What surprises you the most about your life right now?
A. That there is still life in the news business after everybody has written its obituary.
Q. If you could take only one more journey, where would you go?
A. Alaska.
Q. Who was your childhood hero?
A. I grew up in South Africa, so that’s an easy answer. Nelson Mandela.
Q. What do you consider to be the greatest simple pleasure?
A. Afternoon tea with apple pie.
Q. Where would we find you at 10 a.m. on a typical Saturday?
A. At my kids’ soccer game.
Q. What do you do to clear your mind?
A. I put on Beethoven really loud until my family tells me to turn it down.
Q. What do you wish you had the nerve to do?
A. The nerve or the opportunity? I’d like to go head to head with the CEO of a big bank and ask them to explain how they could justify the immoral housing foreclosures that they are responsible for across the country and in California in particular.
Q. What is your favorite cocktail?
A. I’m very simple. Laphroig Scotch straight.
Q. What profession would you like to practice in your next life?
A. I’ve done so many things already. I’m hoping I’ll have an opportunity to continue to do reporting.
Q. What is your most prized material possession?
A. I took a photograph of Nelson Mandela, in 1994, when he voted for the first time.
Q. Who is the one person living or dead you would most like to meet for dinner?
A. Right now, Julian Assange.
To read more about Freedberg’s panel, click here.
*Photo by Aaron Salcido.