SBU-SPJ Wins the 2015 Student Life Media Service Award

SBU-SPJ won the 2015 Student Life Media Service Award for helping student journalists learn the importance of media ethics and providing them with valuable networking opportunities.

Thank you to all of our SBU-SPJ members and guests for a wonderful year! We’re truly grateful to have won Stony Brook University’s 2015 Student Life Media Service Award for promoting journalism and offering media networking opportunities to students.

We look forward to welcoming new members and hosting even bigger events next semester!

The Value of Journalism Ethics with Andrew Seaman of Thomson Reuters

Andrew Seaman, center, presented a very interesting workshop stressing the importance of journalism ethics to SBU-SPJ members. He also gave advice to students on how to succeed in professional journalism. Photo credit, the Tabler Arts Center (April 29, 2015).

Thank you to Andrew Seaman, medical journalist for Thomson Reuters, for an amazing journalism ethics talk tonight! A little bit of ethics goes a long way for journalists, especially in today’s age. Members brought excellent questions and also gained valuable advice for our future careers.

We look forward to hosting big events, such as this one, again in the near future!‪

SBU-SPJ Awarded the Norman L. Prusslin Educational Media Program Award

Norman L. Prusslin, Director of the Media Arts Minor at Stony Brook University, presents the Norman L. Prusslin Educational Media Program Award to SBU-SPJ. SBU-SPJ President Jimin Kim and Vice President Kristy Gerlett accepted the award on behalf of their chapter. Photo by Jacqueline Atkins (April 27, 2015).

For its dedication to supporting journalism and providing students with professional journalism opportunities and educational programs, SBU-SPJ won the Norman L. Prusslin Educational Media Program Award. 

Thank you to all of our members and supporters for helping the chapter reach this milestone. We look forward to us growing SBU-SPJ even more!

SBU-SPJ Attends the SPJ Region 1 Conference

SBU-SPJ members after participating in two engaging days of networking and learning at the SPJ Region 1 Conference at Hofstra.

Thank you SPJ Region 1 for two amazing days of networking and learning at the SPJ Region 1 Conference from April 17 to 18 at Hofstra University. SBU-SPJ members learned great advice on how to land a journalism job, branding ourselves as professionals, improving our resumes and more.

We look forward to networking with more journalists in events such as this one in the future!

SBU-SPJ members attended journalism panels discussing narrative storytelling, sports broadcasting, data reporting and more at the SBU-SPJ Region 1 Conference at Hofstra University. They also spoke with professional journalists and fellow student journalists at the event.

An Excellent Journalism Career Workshop with Professor Carl Corry

Carl Corry, center, with SBU-SPJ members after a productive and interesting journalism career workshop. Photo credit, the Tabler Arts Center (March 25, 2015).

Thank you to Carl Corry, Stony Brook University adjunct multimedia journalism professor and former editor of Newsday.com for presenting SBU-SPJ with an engaging and informative workshop to help us with our future journalism careers. We learned how to sharpen our internship interview skills and effectively brand ourselves as journalists through our work and use of social media.

We look forward to hosting more excellent events in the future and for our members to return with great questions again!

Thank You to Professor Wasim Ahmad for a Terrific Multimedia Workshop

Prof. Wasim Ahmad surrounded by members of SBU-SPJ after a productive multimedia workshop. Photo by Kristy Gerlett (Nov. 18, 2014).

The Society of Professional Journalists at Stony Brook University truly appreciate Professor Wasim Ahmad of the SBU School of Journalism for presenting a very engaging and informative multimedia workshop and Q&A. Members asked a plethora of great questions regarding the technical details of Nikon DSLR cameras, video shooting, as well as editing using Final Cut Pro and Photoshop. Prof. Ahmad answered them through demonstrations on his own camera collection and laptop. We look forward to hosting more inquisitive, informative and interesting events in the future! ‪

Thank You to Our Guests for the ‘Finding Your Career Path’ Panel

Jamie Herzlich left, Halley Bondy, Aisha Al-Muslim, Atiba Rogers and Barbara Selvin presented a panel discussing how to get a head start in the world of journalism.

SPJ Student Chapter Hosts ‘Finding Your Career Path’ Journalist Panel Series

On Wednesday, March 12, The Society of Professional Journalists Stony Brook University student chapter will be hosting a panel discussion at 8:33 p.m. in the Union Auditorium. Halley Bondy, digital producer at Oxygen.com, Aisha Al-Muslim, reporter at Newsday and freelancer, Jamie Herzlich will be talking about their journalistic experiences and offering advice to aspiring journos.

All three women have varied backgrounds. Bondy began as a local reporter for the Star Ledger covering six beats, which included crime and politics. She also writes non-fiction young adult books — her next to be released next year. Now, as digital producer at Oxygen.com, in addition to editorial work, she works on web production, video and photo content.

Al-Muslim, a City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Journalism alumna, previously worked as editor of El Correo de Queens and reporter for The Queens Courier. She has held internships at WCBS-TV, WABC-TV, People en Español, CBS Evening News’ Weekend Edition, WKBW-TV in Buffalo, New York and NY1 Noticias. She covers the Town of Hempstead for Newsday. Al-Muslim has a love for languages, which include Spanish, Italian and French.

Before her position at Newsday, Herzlich freelanced for publications including Long Island Business News, Long Island Magazine, Family Magazine and Salute Magazine. While at Newsday she had the opportunity to cover two U.S. Herzlich was the first reporter on Long Island to break the news that Swezey’s, an institution more than 100 years old was closing in 2003.

The panel is a perfect opportunity to network with journalists who are actively in the field. Come prepared with questions — even business cards! Light refreshments will also be served.

For more information about the panel, contact Atiba Rogers at atiba.rogers@stonybrook.edu.

The Society of Professional Journalists National Awards 2014

Entries are now being accepted for the Society of Professional Journalists National Awards. For the students on break this winter, now is the chance to do some reporting in your spare time and get recognized for it, see the awards list below.

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Mark of Excellence Awards: The Mark of Excellence Awards honors the best in collegiate journalism. Judged at the regional and national level, the annual competition offers categories in newspapers, magazines, photograph, radio, television and online journalism. Entries due January 24, 2014 at midnight ET.

Sigma Delta Chi Awards: The Sigma Delta Chi Awards are among the premiere prizes in the profession and recognize achievement in all forms of journalism: print, television, radio, graphics, magazines, research, newsletters and online. Entries due by February 7, 2014 at midnight ET.

New America Award: SPJ’s New America Award honors public service journalism that explores and exposes an issue of importance to immigrant or ethnic communities in the United States. Entries due February 7, 2014 at midnight ET.

National High School Essay Contest: SPJ wants to increase high school students’ knowledge and understanding of the importance of the Free Media to our lives. The top three national winners will receive scholarship awards. Postmark deadline March 7, 2014.

For more information on SPJ awards and contests, click here.

SPJ co-sponsors the first internship panel of the semester

The Stony Brook University chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists co-sponsered an internship panel discussion on Nov. 6, in which intern advisers at Newsday, Patch, Hamptons.com and News 12 Long Island offered tips on what it takes to land a journalism internship and make a lasting, positive impression.

The group outlined the basic skills expected of intern applicants, offered tips on how to nail an interview, and shared secrets on what it takes to take full advantage of the role.

Panelists included:

Nicole Brewer, Executive Editor, Hamptons.com and executive vice president of PCLI

Carl Corry, Newsday’s online local news editor and chairman of the Martin Buskin Committee for Campus Journalism at Stony Brook

Margarita Kuyenov, Talent Acquisition Manager at News 12 Networks

Ann Bernzweig, intern coordinator at News 12 Long Island

Henry Powderly, Suffolk regional editor at AOL’s Patch.com

More than 30 Stony Brook journalism students attended the panel discussion.

The event, hosted by the Press Club of Long Island, the local professional chapter of SPJ, was also co-sponsored by the Stony Brook University School of Journalism and the Martin Buskin Committee for Campus Journalism.

Brewer, who moderated the discussion, emphasized that students must not exaggerate their experience or skills on their resumes.

There was some discussion on the question of whether “passion” trumps “experience” for internship applicants. Some panelists said specific examples of good work are paramount in their consideration of potential candidates.

In the absence of that experience, however, someone who exudes passion for journalism and a desire to learn can stand out, said Bernzweig, of News 12.

Even an applicant’s online presence is taken into consideration, said Corry, who mentioned that newsday.com values strong social media and multimedia skills. Corry, who is also a director at large of national SPJ, said candidates should set up a website using WordPress or a similar service that highlights their best work.

Panelists also stressed the importance of keeping in contact with supervisors from previous internships because it can ultimately lead interns to secure great opportunities before or after graduation.