Tuesday
We began our New York journey today at Bloomberg News. After a few subway rides, we arrived at one of the coolest buildings I have ever been to. Tall windows allowed endless light to cascade on gleaming floors, and modern light fixtures hung from every facet. Employees grabbed fresh coffee and fruit from a swanky cafeteria, and aquariums full of vibrant fish decorated the walls. It was quite the place to be.
We met Andy Martin, an investigative reporter for Bloomberg, who spoke to us mainly about his work within the food industry. My sister is a die-hard organic and non-GMO eater, so I was intrigued to hear his opinion about his stance on true, authentic consumer products. We also met Laura Keller, who reports on distressed debt. This woman is smart, and I assume it takes a plethora of knowledge to understand bond exchange among businesses. Since this is her specialty, she has made herself a valuable asset to Bloomberg, and that is a tactic that everyone should follow. I have a lot of interest in finance and stocks myself, so I would consider becoming a business reporter one day. We also spoke to Keri Geiger, another investigative reporter who focuses on businesses under investigation. She spoke about the importance of breaking news, and how essential it was to try to publish the information first. New York is avery competitive atmosphere, and even if you are the first to publish by a couple of minutes, it is still a huge advantage.
Next we traveled to ABC and we received a short tour of the studio and spoke to Saundra Thomas, the vice president of community engagement. She introduced us to news director Camille Edwards, a very determined woman. She said that her job as director was a challenging transition, and that not everything goes the way she planned. N.J. Burkett, a veteran reporter, stopped by during our visit and spoke about his love for journalism. He was a very talkative and charismatic man, and it was easy to tell that he truly loves his job. Him and Camille laughed together about past memories, clearly expressing a postive work relationship.
We travled downstairs and met Jane Frye, the audience engagement and social media manger of The View. She told us about her gutsy choice to move from Oxford to New York without a job. I liked her a lot because she was open and honest, especially when she spoke about her current role. She said that her position required someone to be young, hungry, and energetic, but she knows that she won’t feel that way ten years from now. I appreciated that she was not afraid to think of the future and know that she will be somewhere else.
Our final stop of the day was at the Marshall Project, an online website that focuses on criminal justice issues in the United States. We met Bill Keller, the editor and chief, who formerly worked at The York Times. He praised the Times and he loved his job while he was there, but he said that he was delgating and managing so many people that he might as well "be working for an insurance or a brokerage firm." The Marshall Project is a smaller organization, but it focuses on longer investigative pieces. It often partners with other publications in order to attract more readership and to join collaborative forces. Keller said that he wished that he could change the way people think about criminals, because we tend to think of them as "something less than human."
At the end of the day, we got to watch a taping of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. I was pretty much radiating in my seat because I was so excited. Trevor Noah has a suave accent and his Netflix specials are great for those sad, rainy days. He was extremely funny and I was really pleased to see him live in action. While many people feel that Jon Stewart is an irreplaceable host, I think that Trevor did an excellent job. Another day complete!
On set of "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah."
