Hunter journalism students visited with a top New York Post video news executive Nov. 26 to get an eyeful on what makes the operation tick, along with tips on the leading tabloid’s internship program.
Students heard from Warren Cohen, vice president and head of video and Page Six at the Post (the fourth-largest circulation newspaper — and the oldest — in the country). Cohen shared insights into the rapid transformation of the news business, particularly the fundamental shift in how audiences consume video.
Cohen is a two-time Emmy winning producer and was former development executive at VH-1, where he created original video content. In his four years at the Post, he said his team has experimented with a range of video content types, including its Extraordinary People series. The Post is also beginning to dip into podcasting, he added.
Cohen shared additional insight into the profession, telling students from Prof. Adam Glenn’s Reporting and Writing 2 class about his own circuitous path in journalism. Cohen began in print with newsmagazine U.S. News & World Report, then later moved into a long career in television, with a short stint online in the early days of the internet boom.
The key is how to tell a good story.”
— Warren Cohen, VP, head of video and Page Six at the New York Post
Throughout it all, Cohen focused on a central precept: “The key is how to tell a good story. … Whatever the medium, know what will delight, inform and entertain the audience.”
Cohen also said when looking to hire young journalists that organizations like his are always seeking someone with creative ideas and the hustle to push their own stories. “What’s important is to be an ideas person, as well as a skills person.”
Students also heard from human resources coordinator Alex Bruno, who entertained them with stylish videos about the company, and information about the news organization’s 16-week summer internship program.
Internships at the Post bring students into editorial teams covering sports, business, features, metro news and its famed Page Six celebrity coverage.
Added Bruno: “This is not a ‘coffee’ internship. It’s a ‘throw you into the deep end’ internship.”
Students completed the visit with a tour of the extensive operations newsrooms, podcast/video studios and edit bays, as well as a “make-your-own” NY Post cover photo booth.
