He grew up in a family of storytellers, where listening closely and retelling events came naturally. Robert Barba said that his early environment shaped how he saw the world, even before he had a language for journalism as a career.
A National History Day project in middle school turned his instinct into practice. The program, which encourages students in grades 6-12 to research and create presentations on historical topics, gave him his first experience in shaping stories from sources.
Barba went on to attend the University of Colorado and began his career at a small daily newspaper in Florida, where he learned the fast pace and discipline of delivering breaking news. He later spent nearly a decade at American Banker, a New York-based publication that covers the financial services industry, and then had a stint at The Wall Street Journal, where he further honed his skills in editing, breaking news and following developments over time.
Barba now works as a politics editor at New York Public Radio, contributing to WNYC and Gothamist, a website dedicated to stories on New York City, and covers everything from culture to news to events in the tri-state area. In this role, Barba manages three reporters and helps guide coverage of major political issues. Currently, they are working on New York’s gubernatorial race.
This semester, Barba brought his extensive experience into the classroom at Hunter College, where he teaches Reporting and Writing 1. The course introduces students to the foundations of journalism, including how to report and write breaking and hard news stories. Barba often draws from real newsroom situations to impart key lessons.
A series of snowstorms this past year became an unexpected pedagogical tool. Barba used the opportunity to teach how journalists make decisions, including what counts as urgent and how framing affects a story.
Barba says he has long enjoyed working with younger journalists and helping them understand the field. He says teaching has added a new dimension to the field, even as grading and classroom demands present new challenges, and he values the chance to work directly with students and guide them through best journalistic practices.
This includes getting past any shyness and putting yourself out there, even if it’s uncomfortable at first. “Stay curious and pick up the phone,” he says.
