Sixteen news organizations, five days, the Big Apple, several slices of pizza, two experienced professors and an incredible cohort of fourteen journalism students. Led by Professors Damian Radcliffe and Charles Butler, the Super J in NYC Experience Course was an experience that I will never forget.
Created by Radcliffe and former SOJC Professor Lisa Heyamoto in 2016, the program is back in full swing after a brief hiatus during the pandemic.
Our cohort touched down in New York City on May 20 and hit the ground running. Over the course of the week, we visited New York University, Chartbeat, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CBS Sunday Morning, Fox News, ProPublica, Blue Chalk Media, Associated Press, Complex Media, Report For America/ Rebuild Local News, Hearst, The New York Times, The Athletic and Soundcloud.
These publications gave us important insights into the state of journalism today, the way that undergraduates can market themselves to future employers and strategies for restoring the public’s trust in news.
While it would be impossible to summarize everything we learned — I filled an entire notebook with frantic scribblings — I would like to highlight five pieces of advice for aspiring journalists.
#1: Make people care
The internet has played an incredible role in expanding worldviews and the consumption of information. However, it has also led to an oversaturation of content, which can be daunting for both news consumers and producers. As journalists, it is more important than ever to bring fresh ideas to the table and make people care.
During our time at ProPublica, we spoke with Alexis Stephens, the communications director, and reporters Lisa Song and Irena Hwang. They emphasized the importance of making positive change through impact and tackling systemic issues that other organizations might find too complex.
ProPublica is an organization that prides itself on investigative journalism with moral force. Their reporters are encouraged to spend the necessary time digging deep into their stories and shedding light on injustices.
Song and Hwang encouraged us to pitch stories that we are passionate about because passion allows the reader to feel the journalist’s excitement. Additionally, they explained that sometimes reaching a local community can have more impact because local stories often go unrecognized.
#2: Form connections
Time will pass no matter what, so seize the moment, is a synopsis of the advice we received from Francesca Fontana, a UO alumni and Wall Street Journal reporter and host. Fontana encouraged us to make connections as we enter the workforce because connections are key to finding employment.
“Think of your whole career as a giant painting…(you are) filling in the pieces as you go along,” Ryan Knutson, co-host of The Journal podcast and UO alumni, said. Knutson encouraged us to embrace the unexpected and reach out to as many people as possible. “Stay in touch, grab coffee and don’t be shy,” Knutson said.
At the WSJ, we also heard from Jack Pitcher, a UO alumni and reporter — yes, the Duck presence is strong there. Pitcher, Knutson and Fontana all agreed that utilizing connections is better than blindly applying for a job online. For brownie points, mentioning and complimenting the work of the people you meet can go a long way.
#3: Financial literacy will get you far
During our time at Bloomberg, we learned that money, power and people are the root of everything, a universal language that journalists can use to their advantage.
“Journalism is about finding out something that other people don’t know,” John Authers, a senior editor for markets and Bloomberg opinion columnist, said.
Authers has been a financial journalist since 1989. He explained that there is essentially no topic that isn’t financial in some way. For example, Bloomberg’s coverage of the Pro-Palestine encampment dove deep into the divestment angle. Authers used his understanding of markets to explain divestment to readers in a comprehensible way.
While the topic may seem daunting, our cohort was assured that there are simple ways that a journalist can begin to improve their financial literacy. Joel Weber, a UO alumni and editor of Bloomberg Businessweek, recommended reading up on finance through books or business columns at a credible publication. Weber assured us that we shouldn’t be intimidated, but to get in early and start building our understanding of financial journalism.
#4 Strengthen your toolbox
While it can be important to hone in on a journalistic niche, many of the professionals that we met with emphasized the importance of having a large set of tools.
At Associated Press we met with Amira Borders, a UO alumni and content strategist. Borders emphasized the importance of knowing how to film, write a script, do lighting and take direction, explaining that these were the skills that got her some of her first jobs in the industry.
Every newsroom we went to agreed that collaboration is key. Having a broad set of skills can help you to work alongside the strengths and weaknesses of your colleagues to create the best product.
#5: Invest in local newsrooms
The U.S. lost more than two local newsrooms per week according to a 2022 report done by Northwestern University’s MEDILL School of Journalism. Investing in local news has never been more important.
“The main reason local news declined so much is that the business model broke,” Steven Waldman, president and co-founder of Report for America and founder and president of Rebuild Local News, said.
Waldman encouraged any reporters looking for work in a local newsroom to truly serve the community they are placed in. Some of Waldman’s tips for reporters in local newsrooms are to get involved in the community and connect, to not come in with judgements, to build trust and to be authentic.
This is merely a glimpse into the insights we gained during our time in NYC. For anyone looking for more information, I strongly encourage applying for next year’s program.
Applications are now live for the next Super J in NYC Experience.
