Hunter News Now students took a crash course in copyright law earlier this month, thanks to a lawyer from the Student Press Law Center. Staff Attorney Sommer Ingram Dean paid a virtual visit to Professor Sissel McCarthy’s MEDPL 388 Studio News Production class to teach students the basics. “Copyright is a property right, much like you own your car or computer. Just like you can’t use someone’s car without their consent, you can use someone’s work without consent,” says Dean, who is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center.

Congrats to our journalism students on their first-ever, all remote Hunter News Now newscast. Check out their stories about Hunter’s essential student workers, the ups and downs of distance learning, job search tips from home, and an inside look at how fine arts are staying creative during the pandemic—sneak preview: you can dance lying down in a bathtub!

Former CNN reporter Mary Snow taught Hunter News Now students an important lesson about a journalist’s job during an emergency: report on what you know. “Your job is to get the facts out without adding to the sense of panic,” said Snow, who was a CNN correspondent for 11 years. “Do not report anything you are not 100 percent sure of.”

Snow told students that lesson has always served her well, especially when making split-second decisions before going on air. That’s precisely what happened just before a live shot in Newtown, Conn. in 2012 after a school shooting left 26 dead. Reporters heard an early report of the gunman’s name, but since Snow could not verify it, she did not mention it in her update. In fact, the name was wrong—the one that was circulating was the gunman’s brother. “There’s a huge potential for misinformation in these situations.. and so much pressure to get the story first, but accuracy always trumps speed,” Snow said.