On January 23, Leading scholars, journalists, and community voices joined together for a series of virtual panel discussions exploring how liberal arts expertise shapes our understanding of today’s most pressing civic issues—from the role of the media and constitutional rights to the lived impacts of state-sanctioned violence. In the final panel of the day, Jon Collins (MPR), Brian Arola (MinnPost), Shubhanjana Das (Sahan Journal) and Madison McVan (Minnesota Reformer) talk about how journalists on the ground in communities are uniquely positioned to build trust, or rely on already-created trust, to more deeply document people's experience at this moment. This conversation with local journalists in the Twin Cities who have experience reporting in and for their communities. The conversation will include a look at the journalist's role compared to that of observers who are recording/documenting the operations. How are those roles distinct? Does the public understand the difference between observers and journalists? It will also explore the way close-in reporting can promote empathy in times of strife.