Journalist: "Don't let anyone intimidate you"

Award-winning 24-year-old Asbury Park Press reporter Alex Biese told students at his alma mater that the toughest part of reporting is getting public officials to talk.

"Don't let anyone intimidate you," he advised a Monmouth University journalism class on Oct. 22. The public needs reporters to be inquisitive and dogged in getting answers. "You are a conduit for the public to know."

Biese, a 2006 graduate, also offered advice on breaking into journalism, including landing an internship. For more info, see The Outlook story on page 11.

Biese's talk was part of an ongoing series of talks by professional journalists sponsored by the Communication Department.

Upcoming journalism talks this semester include:

Nov. 26: Tony Romeo, state capital bureau chief for KYW News Radio 1060 in Philadelphia, will discuss broadcast journalism. Tony has more than 20 years experience as a broadcast journalist and has covered many major stories. As an 18-year-old Penn State student, he began his professional career, covering the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster for WSBA Radio in York, Pa. He'll speak from 6:30 to 7:15 pm in room 234 of Plangere.

Dec. 10: Steve Chiger, president of the Garden State Scholastic Association, will speak about online journalism from 6 to 7:15 in room 234 of Plangere. Chiger has an M.A. in new media journalism from Northwestern and was project manager of the E-zine @Chicago. He' s also a former reporter for The Courier News and Westfield Leader. Additionally, he runs the annual summer Diversity Journalism Workshop at Monmouth.

All talks are open to the public. For more information, e-mail mgrabows(at)monmouth(dot)edu.

More praise for CubReporters.org

Ken Jost, Supreme Court Editor of CQ Press, e-mails us: "Perhaps if I'd read this [Web site] 30 years ago, I might be editor of the New York Times by now."

"Too often, young journalists don't have a road map with which to navigate the industry -- instead, they're given gloomy assessments about the job market and then shoved out into it," says J.T. Rushing, state capital bureau chief for the Florida-Times Union. "What Mark has created is a terrific, must-read resource for reporters in that category which we were all in at one point. His site is unique, it's invaluable, it's comprehensive and it is most certainly recommended.

Says the Aggie Journalists blog: "CubReporters.org has a whole raft of solid links to national internship listings — more than a dozen, including ASNE's bank and chains/organizations such as the AP and Freedom Communications, which owns five Texas papers."

"Looks great," e-mails Chandra Turner, founder and president of Ed2010.com , a networking and mentoring organization committed to helping aspiring and junior-level editors reach their dream magazine jobs.

Thanks, everyone!