Why We Keep Reporting - Wallace House Center for Journalists

Seema Mehta is a political reporter at the Los Angeles Times.

I’ve covered politics at the Los Angeles Times for nearly two decades, and I cannot recall a more challenging time to do this work. The nation is deeply polarized. Many voters believe the mainstream media is fake news and won’t talk to us, making it harder to tell stories that reflect the viewpoints of all Americans. It seems impossible to keep up with the firehose of news coming out of the White House, including many policies that disproportionately affect Californians.

The ICE raids that began in Los Angeles in June and the ensuing deployment of the National Guard on the streets of the nation’s second-largest city are prime examples. In the early days, my colleagues and I wrote about the chaos that was violently unfolding amid one of the largest immigrant populations in the U.S., the legalities of the efforts, the administration’s justifications and Democrats’ opposition.

In the midst of an avalanche of breaking news, I heard about a veteran who had self-deported to South Korea.

Sae Joon Park legally immigrated when he was 7 years old and grew up in Los Angeles, becoming part of Southern California’s skateboarding and surfing scene in the 1980s.

After graduating from high school, Park joined the Army and was deployed to Panama in 1989 as the U.S. tried to depose the nation’s de facto leader, General Manuel Noriega. Park was shot twice, honorably discharged and awarded a Purple Heart.

Park said he spiraled into addiction as he sought to self-medicate his PTSD, leading to drug convictions and prison time. He eventually sobered up, moved to Hawaii and raised two children. Every year, Park was required to check in with federal officials and show that he was employed and sober.

People are willing to speak to us during the most harrowing moments of their lives, and we are privileged to be able to share their stories.

During his most recent check-in, Park was about to be detained and deported, but immigration agents placed an ankle monitor on him and gave him three weeks to get his affairs in order and self-deport. He is not allowed to return to the United States for 10 years. He worries he will miss his mother’s passing and his daughter’s wedding.

I spoke with him two days after he left the United States. He remains in South Korea.

Park’s saga is not uplifting. But it is a reminder of the importance of our work and motivation to keep doing it, to show the real-world impacts of decisions being made in the halls of power. People are willing to speak to us during the most harrowing moments of their lives, and we are privileged to be able to share their stories.

This article is part of Rising to Meet the Moment, a series from the Fall 2025 issue of the Wallace House Journal, featuring reflections from Knight-Wallace alumni, Wallace House board members and the Livingston Awards community on meeting today’s challenges with focus, resilience and resolve. Read more stories from our series:

Christopher Baxter, “Unexpected hope“

Lynette Clemetson, “Stepping up with focus and resolve“

Hayes Ferguson, “Nurturing innovation, adaptability and purpose“

Stephen Henderson, “Choosing civility“

Samantha Henry, “The future of our profession: student journalism“

Tracy Jan, “News deserts and fewer watchdogs“

Margaret Low, “Game Over? Not a chance“

Peggy Lowe, “Defunded, but not defeated“

Amy Maestas, “Building trust through community collaborations“

Kunal Majumder, “Defending the right to report“

Seema Mehta, “Why we keep reporting“

Rachel Rohr, “Swift action for the hardest hit“