Disillusioned with the state of unaffordable housing in her community, journalist Lisa Kwon reported on the unethical practices of Airbnb landlords in Los Angeles. She was met with a cease-and-desist order.
“I couldn’t believe I was in a situation where I wrote a story and ultimately had to pay for it,” Kwon said recently in an interview with Annenberg Media. “That just was nauseating to me.”
Kwon, a full-time content manager and a freelance reporter, wrote a story for the nonprofit newsroom Knock L.A. in 2021 about illegally operated Airbnbs exacerbating the housing crisis in Los Angeles. The landlord named in the story filed a lawsuit against Kwon in retaliation. After a nearly two-year-long legal battle, they settled on Jan. 29.
But Kwon was left with $10,760.58 in legal and court fees — with no financial support from Knock L.A.
Burdened with the massive fees, Kwon opened a crowdfunding campaign on Feb. 8, detailing her legal and financial situation. It was a last resort after Knock L.A. confirmed they did not have the resources to assist.
Less than 24 hours after she posted the campaign, Kwon raised over $12,000 on GoFundMe to pay off her legal fees. She’s still processing the display of mobilized community support.
“I don’t know how it went well or where it went well,” she said, shaking her head slightly. “I’m trying not to ask questions about it. I’m thankful.”
A lifelong L.A. resident who has lived in Koreatown for several years, 32-year-old Kwon began writing to learn more about her neighborhood and communities. She said many of her stories are “rooted in community organizing,” which also led her to the sources for her Airbnb story.
Kwon wasn’t surprised when the named landlord, Simone Shah, served her an individual cease-and-desist order; She had already “weighed the risks,” she said. What she didn’t know was that she would be essentially on her own in the legal battle.
“I knew that [the story] would come back around in some way or form,” Kwon said. “I think I was more so not expecting the lack of support that I would get from the newsroom that published me.”
Kwon notified Knock L.A. about the individual cease-and-desist served to her, but she said there was a period of “radio silence” for the past years that she was involved in the lawsuit. When she finally settled with Shah, Kwon reached out to Knock L.A. asking for a contribution to her fees, but the newsroom said they could not offer financial assistance “at this time,” according to Kwon.
Right after Kwon posted the GoFundMe, thinking that it was the end of that conversation, Knock L.A. restarted communication.
“I heard back from them at several points that day, asking if I want to talk now,” Kwon said with a laugh.
Knock L.A. wrote a public apology to Kwon, which they allowed her to review before posting to social media on Feb. 15. Kwon also spoke to the editor of her Airbnb story to discuss why this situation was disappointing and why she wanted Knock L.A. to “actually uphold what they say when they say that they’re a progressive newsroom,” she said.
The newsroom wrote in a statement to Annenberg Media that their “usual support mechanism faltered” when Kwon received the individual cease-and-desist. In tandem with their “extremely limited” financial resources, Knock L.A. stated that their pro bono lawyer did not follow up with Kwon about her request for legal assistance.
Knock L.A. apologized and expressed gratitude to Kwon in the statement for underscoring the importance of “robust support systems” within the organization.
“Her feedback has been crucial in guiding us toward improving our support for freelancers, ensuring they feel secure and backed as they tackle critical issues affecting our community,” Knock L.A. wrote in the statement to Annenberg Media.
Despite this setback, Kwon said she feels “more equipped” to take on complex stories after her legal battle.
“If anything, I think I just come in with more knowledge now of how to protect myself and how to ask for what I need from a newsroom to do something like this,” Kwon said.
When Kwon isn’t interviewing sources for an investigative piece or trying a family restaurant for a food review, she’s working full-time as a content manager for Flight Club, a high-end sneaker marketplace under GOAT Group. The office, a redone warehouse in the Crenshaw neighborhood, is bustling but laid back, full of other young creatives like Kwon.
David Kim, a content associate on Kwon’s team at Flight Club, follows her writing but said he wasn’t aware of the full scope of her legal situation.
“Lisa kept it low-key. She kind of just grinded like a soldier on her own for most of it,” Kim said. “She is always very fearless with reporting. Her work that most inspired me was the stuff relating to Los Angeles and Koreatown.”
Kwon is passionate about presenting her communities accurately. Many mainstream publications, she said, present Koreatown as simply a destination or tourist spot. Her motivation to explore the “human center” of Los Angeles is the core of why Kwon writes — and why she said she’ll keep writing.
“I know we were joking about it earlier that the news industry is kind of in shambles right now,” Kwon laughed, referencing a previous conversation in the studio. “But it’s all the more reason for you to try to find the right outlets for more of these stories. There are other external forces that will try to sway narratives right and left if you’re not in there trying to tell the story honestly and from the perspectives that matter.”
Her long-term goal is to write full-time, whether it’s shifting to a more editorial role at GOAT or becoming a published author. For now, though, Kwon is content with having a stable income to support what she likes to do “outside of working hours,” since many nonprofit newsrooms struggle with having the funding to hire staff writers.
“It hasn’t always been smooth,” Kwon said. “But I found a good balance here.”