Rami Alarian - Rami Alarian: San Diego Journalist

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Rami Alarian is a community reporting intern at inewsource and a journalism student at San Diego State university. They write for the student newspaper, The Daily Aztec, and serve as the podcast production manager. In their spare time, Rami can be found performing improv, hosting their nationally nominated college radio show, “Freakquency,” and working on their podcast, “Where Ya At?” as their Journalism program’s podcast intern.

About Rami

<h4>inewsource, San Diego, Community Reporting Intern (Aug. 2025 - Nov. 2025)</h4>• Report on community-focused hyperlocal matters in the South Bay area of San Diego• Produce multiple TV and radio packages for KPBS as part of inewsource’s public matters' initiative• Supplement the research of other investigative, accountability and education reporters• File record requests, web produce through WordPress and fact-check through a multi-step rigorous process<h4>The Daily Aztec, SDSU, Podcast Editor &amp; Reporter (Aug. 2025 - Current)</h4>• Publish, produce and host a weekly interview-focused podcast (The Daily Aztec Debrief) surrounding timely topics, optimized for students and the SDSU community• Teach and guide aspiring podcast journalists through the scriptwriting, interviewing, editing and publishing process• Publish a variety of investigative, news and arts/culture stories on a routine basis<h4>Journalism and Media Studies, SDSU, Podcast Intern (Aug. 2025 - Current)</h4>• Publish, produce and host a bi-weekly podcast (Where Ya At?) dedicated to journalism, made by journalists• Interview journalists and multimedia creators from all over the country about their motivations, their schooling and their careers• Market on multiple social media platforms and keep constant communication with local journalists

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Discover the stories behind the headlines with Rami Alarian, a dedicated journalist committed to uncovering the truth. Explore my bio, resume, recent work, and get in touch to collaborate or learn more.

Rami Alarian: San Diego Journalist

<h3>Blog 1: Welcome to my blog!&nbsp;</h3> Hello, all who are interested in my journalism journey. My name is Rami Alarian and this website is meant to be a reflection/digital backlog of my work for a San Diego State University class. JMS 430 is all about digital media. I am excited to explore the multimedia sphere with such a vast landscape. I am excited to see my work take center stage in such a user-friendly way. I will be uploading my past work, my resume, blog posts like this one and future work of mine created for this course.&nbsp; I will be doing a final topic that I believe is very well suited for this course and this digital medium and one that I believe has a bearing in not just university life, but SDSU life specifically. My three main pitches are as follows: the state of closures in San Diego entertainment, private equity firms and their impact on student housing and the ‘red zone,’ a time of heightened sexual violence on university campuses.&nbsp; <h3>Blog 2:</h3><h3> </h3>At this point, the class has been an interesting ride so far. I am very connected to the topic I ultimately chose: the red zone. It is a little bit of an unknown topic, but I believe that some of the most important stories are shedding light on issues like these so that awareness can be spread.&nbsp; Here is the description of my story: An understanding of the Red Zone, a time spanning the start of the fall semester through to Thanksgiving break, when more than 50% of all college sexual assaults are statistically found to occur. What are universities doing to combat this issue, and how does it compare to SDSU? Possibly, what are smaller institutions doing compared to larger institutions?&nbsp;&nbsp; Working title: A university’s highest risk time for sexual violence: What is the ‘red zone?’ I am hoping to talk to some university experts and academics, so that is the first place I will start.&nbsp;<h3>Fan Edits: The Internet’s Love Letters</h3><h3>How fan edits shape fandoms and amplify media&nbsp;</h3> Fan edits are a video splicing format of already-made content, often paired with thematic music. Edits usually contain a multitude of clips from various forms of media. They could include a character, a celebrity, a moment from a TV show, a part of a movie, or anything you could possibly think of—if things get a little bit more abstract.&nbsp; Typically, fan edits convey some sort of emotion or central theme (even though it is often composed of already-made media). They are an expression of many things and encourage a deep sense of appreciation for the art that they incorporate.&nbsp; If you’re thinking about this art form like a parody, you aren’t quite on the right track. While a parody would use inspiration from a piece of media to recreate and mock, or possibly show appreciation for, its contents, a fan edit is only original in the way it is formed. The content that is used is typically not created. It’s like retelling your favorite moments of your favorite tv show to a friend. But still, edits are more than that. Editing has become an art form with a dedicated audience and ever-evolving landscape. There are even different styles and aesthetics of edits. Fancams typically refer to edits that show an appreciation for a specific celebrity or character (often to show how attractive or&nbsp;desirable said character is). Here is a social media example of the impact of fan edits on some form of media or intellectual property. The Twitter post linked below can serve as an example of what an edit looks like and how it can evoke some sort of emotional reaction.&nbsp; <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://x.com/trulycharmedk/status/1902525145027375200?s=46&amp;t=rlJXepP887NfMh-JMREWkw">Twitter Post&nbsp;</a> Posts like these are not new and have been around long before the days of TikTok or even Instagram. Many say they originated on Tumblr, a space teeming with fans just waiting to talk about their favorite character from their favorite tv show, movie, video game or miscellaneous form of media.&nbsp; But what we do know is that they have grown to become more popular and they have branched away from just being an appreciation of some form of intellectual property. Now it stands to be its own art form. Some are compilations of online videos meant to elicit or illustrate some sort of emotion or appreciation of something. There is a great deal of beauty in the expansion of this art form. Ultimately, I hope that most people can find solace in a unique art form that exists only in the digital realm, meant to appreciate other art forms.&nbsp;<h3>Blog 4</h3>I have had a deep appreciation for both working on my final story project and finalizing my website. I had never previously made anything like this website before. Truthfully, it was an awfully daunting experience. But nonetheless, it was the experience I was looking forward to the most.&nbsp; I was hoping to get to use an industry-standard website, such as WordPress or even a common portfolio website, such as Wix, so that I may be able to carry on my knowledge into future journalism positions. But Solo was extremely easy to navigate and use, so I do have appreciation for that. Although, I believe it was easy to operate because it had many fewer options for customization.&nbsp; I am really happy with what my website has come to be. I think things look prettier than expected with the tools that Solo provides and I had a lot of ideas for making it look cleaner, but I was unfortunately limited by the maximum number of photos it allows you to upload. This severely limited what I wanted to create and I believe I will switch my domain to a website that allows more customization in the future.&nbsp; My final story project was one I had been excited about from the very beginning. The idea of the ‘red zone’ was so unfortunate to me, and I had to learn more about what it meant, the history behind it and what schools are doing to combat this phenomenon. Talking to academics really opened my eyes to this issue and it was such an informative experience. One of my favorite parts of the reporting process is talking to people with interesting stories, interesting knowledge or interesting positions. I got to do all three for my story.&nbsp; &nbsp;

A university’s first week of the school year sees an influx of new students, high hopes and vulnerability. For some, it's their first taste of freedom, but for others, it could spell horrifying experiences.&nbsp; The “<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://rainn.org/strategies-to-reduce-risk-increase-safety/for-students-safety-steps-for-k-12-and-college/">red zone</a>” describes a period of heightened risk of sexual violence within the first few months of a college student’s first and second semesters on a university’s campus. According to the Rape, Abuse, &amp; Incest National Network (RAINN), the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, more than 50% of college sexual assaults occur between the first day of the semester and Thanksgiving.&nbsp; The term “red zone” was coined in the early 2000s by researchers while studying patterns of sexual assault reporting among college women.&nbsp; “We know that it’s significantly worse for students who are people of color, who are LGBTQ and who are disabled,” University of California San Diego (UCSD) behavioral sciences and health education Professor Rebecca Fielding-Miller, said.&nbsp;&nbsp; According to RAINN statistics, 13% of all students experience rape or sexual assault, with female college students being three times more likely than women in general to experience some sort of sexual violence.&nbsp; In fact, the same data reports that more than 25% of university undergraduate women reported rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence or incapacitation, with 80% of these cases being perpetrated by someone the survivor knows.&nbsp; Sexual assault spikes during the red zone aren’t just random. Party culture, the surge of alcohol use and general inexperience are major factors contributing to this phenomenon.&nbsp; Fielding-Miller said part of the issue is caused by students being in such close proximity, coupled with the inexperience of being away from home. In addition to students living away from parents for the first time, she says substances are a major factor.&nbsp; “Alcohol is really a main tool that perpetrators will use to assault survivors,” Fielding-Miller said. “It 's kind of a mix of new loosening supervision and a lot of substance use.”&nbsp; In a 2024 SDSU Campus Climate Survey, presented to all students and organized by campus professors, an anonymous student shared their experience with sexual assault on campus.&nbsp;&nbsp;“I think that fraternities need some serious assembly or something where they can see how horrible sexual assault impacts people and that their actions are truly horrific in some cases,” the anonymous source said. Retired San Diego State University (SDSU) Professor of Communication—Patricia Geist-Martin, diagnosed a lack of education as one of the main factors contributing to the red zone.&nbsp; “That whole thing is really having a good quality education and educational system,” Geist-Martin said.&nbsp; “Part of the other issue that comes into play is even if you’ve been educated, even if you know the strategies for addressing it, often time what people feel is both undergrad and grads is, they’ll be stigmatized,” Geist-Martin said.&nbsp; According to the same 2024 SDSU <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://cphd-titleix.sdsu.edu/_resources/files/campus-climate-surveys/sdsu-sexual-violence-campus-climate-survey-x-soc_final_11.21.24.pdf">campus climate survey</a> on sexual violence, only 3% of students who experienced a sexual harassment incident by another student reported their abuser, with 52% of victims&nbsp; “avoiding the person as much as possible,” instead.&nbsp;The survey showcases multiple real student accounts with many diagnosing fear, lack of importance or distrust in the system as main reasons for a non-disclosure regarding their own sexual violence experience.&nbsp; “I was afraid of the repercussions,” “I didn’t think it was a big enough incident” and “I don’t trust them, and for the most part, none of them will do anything about it,” were three striking responses when asked why they did not disclose their experiences to an SDSU faculty or staff member; With one student suggesting “better advertising of where sexual assault can be reported and other resources for victims.”&nbsp; When it comes to preventing incidents and protecting survivors of sexual violence on college campuses, the pitfalls lie in organizational integrity.&nbsp; “It happens at every university, it happens at every organization,” Geist-Martin said. “Money is thrown to the victim to keep her quiet.”She said that universities are often concerned about what’s going to happen if it hits the news or what's going to happen with fear among other students. Ultimately, it’s easier for victims to stay quiet, and it’s easier for universities if victims are quiet. Fielding-Miller said organizations must look at better training methods and that sexual violence training about consent is often not evidence-based.&nbsp; “It’s mandated that we all receive this training. It’s not mandated that there be any proof these trainings are effective,” she said. “There’s actually reasonable evidence based that poorly done, they can backfire.”&nbsp; In terms of campus resources, the Title IX office offers <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://cphd-titleix.sdsu.edu/reporting">anonymous reporting</a> even when it comes to complaints of discrimination.&nbsp; It can provide any student with immediate forensic services and lead them to seek any justice they see fit. They receive the most reports on SDSU’s campus despite university police being labeled as the preferred resource among students.&nbsp; Gillian Terlecky, the violence prevention and education coordinator of SDSU’s Title IX chapter, said that Survivor Advocacy Services and Counseling and Psychological Services, whose contacts are found <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://cphd-titleix.sdsu.edu/title-ix/reporting-resources">here</a> under a Title IX information page, are two resources she would point victims of sexual violence toward.&nbsp; Locally, the District Attorney’s Office has both a North County location and, recently, a South County location of a resource-based family justice center. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ospsandiegocounty.gov/">One Safe Place</a>, a resource center in collaboration with the district attorney’s office, offers services for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking, violent loss or other crimes and forms of victimization. The center provides forensic exams, legal assistance, trauma therapy, shelter placement and more.&nbsp; Angela Matias, a victim of marital abuse and child abuse, was helped by the services provided to her at One Safe Place.&nbsp; “I was going through emotional and physical abuse,” Matias said. “I tried to hold on to it for too long, and it was very hurtful, but when I was ready to let go, I was able to access services through One Safe Place.” While not a student at SDSU, Matias is a student, currently studying for a master's in child development. Information on reporting and receiving help from this family justice center can be found <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ospsandiegocounty.gov/contact-us/">here.</a>__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Top Page Caption: Firetrucks at San Diego State University responding to an on-campus emergency. (Rami Alarian)Bottom Page Caption: Front of One Safe Place South County location after ribbon-cutting ceremony in National City on Oct. 17, 2025. (Rami Alarian)__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<h4>Learn more with infographics <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cTyrr0RSODQIFP7iBj6_9OzD4TLeATqQwZonMh5jF-E/edit?usp=sharing">here</a>!</h4>

A university’s highest risk time for sexual violence: What is the ‘red zone?’

<h3>Synopsis: Expanding on journalistic ideals, methods and mediums&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3>Digital Journalism is a means to the future of journalism. To understand journalism on the digital front means to be better informed of the next five to ten years of multimedia storytelling. JMS 430: Digital Journalism was an informative and potent pathway toward well-rounding myself as a journalist. I have been interested in developing newsletters, Substacks, and blogs in the past. This course helped to improve my knowledge of content publishing and provided me with the tools to pursue other means of journalism production. Additionally, I have been able to better my story development techniques through the use of online forums such as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://sdsu.instructure.com/courses/186529/files/17292304?module_item_id=4927341">Nextdoor and Reddit,</a> both of which I have actively begun using after learning of its benefits from this course.&nbsp; <h3>Developing the Story Project&nbsp;</h3><h3></h3>In this course, I have been fortunate enough to work on a topic I am extremely passionate about. I discuss the Red Zone, the time in which university campuses see a heightened risk of sexual violence. The Red Zone occurs from the first day of the first semester through to Thanksgiving break. In comparison to the two other topics I chose to present to this course, by far, this story was the one I felt the most connection to pursuing and producing throughout the semester. When I initially started, I will admit that I was lost on how to develop sources for this story. It seemed so foreign to talk about such a delicate subject. But throughout the semester, there were some key moments that gave me insight into how to approach the story. When talking to fellow students of mine, I learned about the experts directory and figured that it might be smart to consult both San Diego State University’s experts webpage and the University of California of San Diego’s experts webpage. Through my internship with inewsource, I was able to get the opportunity to talk to a victim of sexual assault for the first time, which helped train me to discuss the sensitive subject of sexual violence on campus. Minimizing harm has always been an ideal of mine, and my goal was to produce a story that reflected that ideal from the journalistic code of ethics. Despite struggles and obstacles, I believe that I have had a good support system and certain opportunities throughout this semester that have allowed me to overcome any delays and drawbacks.&nbsp; <h4>Digital Media Experience: Discovering new tools and new conversations&nbsp;</h4> I have always been one to enjoy more options when it comes to exploring creative realms. I am also always looking toward learning new experiences and knowledge that will help me out in the long run. Each class that I have taken here at SDSU has allowed me to put stepping stones in front of myself, bestowing me with an even better understanding of at least one topic by the time of my departure from the course. Digital journalism has helped me utilize new source gathering, story development and web production knowledge that I had previously not known about. I have already used some techniques taught in this course in other classes, internships and realms of my journalistic publishing. I had made my first map based on data and Google Sheets here in this course before attending a data journalism workshop at my internship. I felt much more prepared walking into that workshop thanks to the lecture on data journalism. Without the base knowledge taught in this course, I would have felt a little bit more lost when making my first map and punching in my first code into Google Sheets. It is even the knowledge that I learned in this course that proved that data journalism was something I would like to pursue more in the future.&nbsp;When it comes to other skills like AI, I personally am not fond of using them and wish to distance myself from those sorts of tools. I try to use AI as minimally as I possibly can. If AI is a crucial sector of journalism in the future, I believe that it is my knowledge of journalism, not AI, that would better help me utilize it. It is hard to use a tool like this if you are not familiar with it, but it is even harder to use a tool like this if you don’t know what you want to create or where to start. Through and through, my passion lies in journalism, not artificial intelligence. Especially when I believe that AI is a straightforward piece of technology. I do not need to know how a car works to master driving one, and so my philosophy on AI remains the same: I will use it as a tool only when necessary and never as a product of my work.&nbsp;The most enjoyable moment throughout working on my story has been talking with experts. I love learning about academic research and I love chatting with someone more knowledgeable than me on a subject both they and I find fascinating. One of the many luxuries of journalism is getting to have these real, human, informative conversations.

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Rami Alarian: San Diego Journalist

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