Jon Swartz, Tech Strong reporter and former USA Today technology correspondent, shares his journey from small-town Georgia newspaper to Silicon Valley insider. He reveals why journalism still matters in PR strategies, which stories break through the noise, and what happens when local newspapers disappear. Drawing from decades covering everyone from Apple to defunct startups, Swartz explains why the best reporters still pick up the phone, why he avoids writing too seriously about himself, and how the death of local news creates PR challenges no one anticipated.