Faculty News – Hunter College Journalism

Sissel McCarthy, director of the Hunter College Journalism Program

Director’s Fall 2020 Welcome Letter

August 21, 2020

Journalism Program Director Sissel McCarthy welcomes students and faculty back for fall 2020. In her welcome letter, McCarthy shares news about new and returning faculty, the fall calendar and important safety guidelines for reporting. Read the full letter and get additional info.

Grabbing a Virtual Coffee: How to Freelance During COVID-19

May 26, 2020

Working as a freelancer during the COVID-19 pandemic can pay off — if you know the focus of your story. That was the advice for beginning freelancers in a Zoom webinar May 13 sponsored by the Hunter Journalism program and featuring Professor Susie Armitage and other professional journalists. Get their best tips and tricks, plus a guide to pitching.

Course Closeup: Dive into the World of Data Storytelling this Fall

May 18, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic has made clear, data and numbers can tell powerful stories as a key part of the news. But crafting numbers into useful information or a coherent narrative is no easy task. So to help, Hunter’s journalism program next fall is offering a course to ensure that students are well-equipped with the necessary mastery over data-driven storytelling. Find out more or register.

Journalism Program Director Speaks Out on World Press Freedom Day

May 11, 2020

Hunter College’s Journalism Program Director Sissel McCarthy celebrated World Press Freedom Day on May 3 by calling on the public to recognize the value of a free press and support local journalism. But she had a warning about the state of news.

Mary Snow during a Zoom session with students from the Journalism Program's Studio News Production class.

Hunter News Now Students Learn about Crisis Reporting, Polling

April 20, 2020

Former CNN reporter Mary Snow, during a recent virtual visit, taught Hunter News Now Students an important lesson about a journalist’s job during an emergency. Find out what it was and learn more about her virtual class visit.

‘The Show Must Go On’ — Distance Learning During a Pandemic

April 20, 2020

More than a month into Hunter College’s move to remote learning, the school’s journalism courses have dramatically shifted the way they now operate. Get more details on the changes and hear viewpoints of students and faculty.

Quarantine Scenes: Students at Work, Remotely

April 20, 2020

As students settle into their online learning, where they are doing their work varies widely. Members of a Reporting and Writing I class shared these dispatches from their current study environments.

Professor Profile: Khristopher Brooks, Newshound with Boundaries

April 6, 2020

Reporting and Writing 1 instructor Kristopher Brooks’ morning starts at 5 a.m. with coffee, cereal and a frantic consumption of news. It ends with his cats. In between, advice from the CBS News reporter on reading, pitching, writing and "breaking down" the news. Read this Professor Profile.

EVENT CANCELLED: PBS NewsHour Reporter To Share China Insights with Hunter Community

March 9, 2020

Join Pulitzer Center grantee and PBS NewsHour special correspondent Nick Schifrin and Hunter College Distinguished Lecturer Sissel McCarthy on March 30 at the Roosevelt House for a conversation about the social, economic and political forces behind China's rise in power. The event, which will begin at 6 pm and be followed by a reception from 7-8 pm, is open to Hunter College students. Get the details and RSVP here.

Hunter News Literacy Site Hits Spring Term Running

February 17, 2020

A Hunter College website focused on news literacy has started off the spring term in the last week with a burst of new content. Faculty and students alike contributed items on TikTok, libel, social media, censorship and disinformation. Check out the latest on NewsLiteracyMatters.com.

Professor Profile: Paron Puts Students First

February 9, 2020

From coaching high school students on the realities of journalism, to collaborating with collegiate journalists as a Hunter professor and editor of Dateline: CUNY, Professor Katina Paron puts students first. Read our latest Professor Profile to find out why it matters so much to her.

Distinguished Lecturer and Director of the Journalism Program Sissel McCarthy attended this year’s NAMLE conference to give a talk about news literacy education.

Director’s Spring 2020 Welcome Letter

January 26, 2020

Journalism Program Director Sissel McCarthy welcomes back students and faculty with her start-of-term letter. Get news about new faculty, new courses, upcoming events and more.

Professor Profile: Award-Winning Journalist Brings Investigative Reporting Back to Hunter

November 21, 2019

Buzzfeed's Emmanuel Felton, the journalism program's new investigative reporting instructor, has traveled a self-described "weird path" en route to his current work. But there have been key themes along the way. Find out what they are and learn about this new faculty member, in our latest Professor Profile.

Taken from the terrace of my first apartment on the Lower East Side, 1999.

Making It, And Making It Again: My First 20 Years As A Writer In New York, Almost All Of It Without A Full-Time Job

November 21, 2019

Journalism instructor David Alm moved to New York City 20 years ago and struggled to succeed as a writer and editor. Ultimately, he built a career he is proud of as a freelancer and teacher. Here's his story about making it as a journalist in New York.

Journalism Director Addresses Growing Threats to Reporters

November 14, 2019

Hunter College Journalism Program Director Sissel McCarthy kicked off an Association of Foreign Correspondents USA inaugural awards and scholarship ceremony at the Roosevelt House on Nov. 4 with a speech about the growing threat to journalism and journalists here and abroad. Here's what she asked listeners to do about it.

The legacy of broadcast journalism legend Mike Wallace was the subject of a Hunter College panel featuring CBS News producer Bob Anderson (above left) and Avi Belkin (middle), documentary filmmaker. Journalism Professor David Alm (at right) moderated the Nov. 6 discussion. PHOTO: Kalli Siringas

CBS News Icon A Focus Of Screening, Panel

November 8, 2019

CBS News legend Mike Wallace was the subject of a documentary film screening and panel organized by the Journalism Program on Nov. 6, and featuring filmmaker Avi Belkin and CBS News veteran producer Bob Anderson. Learn what Wallace's legacy is for young journalists today and get advice for students from Anderson. Plus, watch full video of the panel.

Course Closeup: New Class Explores Intersection of Urban Environment & Health

November 8, 2019

A new course being launched this spring will equip students to report on the growing news beat at the intersection of urban environmental and public health issues. Find out what's at stake and how the new class will equip students to cover it.

Aronson Awards Ceremony Celebrates Social Justice Journalism

October 31, 2019

Hunter College hosted its annual showcase of award-winning social justice journalism on Oct. 29, with CUNY Chancellor Felix V. Matos Rodriquez headlining the Aronson Awards program. Hunter journalism student Maria Luisa Imbachi was singled out as the 2019 Aronson Undergraduate award winner in part for her work covering issues facing undocumented students. Check out the other winners and get additional highlights from the program.

News Literacy Expert Visits Hunter College

October 31, 2019

Students in Professor Sissel McCarthy’s MEDIA 211 class learned all about bias, fairness and balance in the news media from one of the nation’s preeminent scholars on news literacy, during a guest lecture on Oct. 24. Find out what three questions he urged students to ask when consuming news.

Nov. 4 Panel Discusses Threat to Journalism

October 17, 2019

Join a panel on “The Growing Threat to Journalism Around the World,” on Monday, Nov. 4, at the Roosevelt House, 47 East 65th Street. The program features Sissel McCarthy, director of Hunter College’s journalism program, as well as news executives from CNN, Yahoo News and others.