Future journalists visit Valley Stream Herald office

The journalism class from Valley Stream Central High School got to enjoy a bit of a different experience on March 23. The class, led by Central English Chairman Dr. David Fritz, got to visit Richner Communications, home of the Valley Stream Herald, for a tour of the entire building. The students (including myself) got an inside look at every aspect of how a newspaper is made. The keen and observant students learned more than they had ever known about journalism.

After arriving, the class first went into a conference room to introduce themselves and get accustomed to what it was like being in the building. The class then watched a PowerPoint presentation by Herald Marketing Director Christine Remsen. The lecture focused on the production of the newspaper itself, from the ink, to the presses, to the delivery of the papers. Many interesting, unknown facts were brought to light for students.

Afterwards the young journalists got the perspective from two writers, past and present. First the class listened to Valley Stream Herald Editor Andrew Hackmack, who offered his professional insight into what it took to be a journalist at this level. He explained how he gained information for his stories, deadlines, and his favorite parts of his job. Next up was the former editor of the Valley Stream Herald, and current executive editor of Herald Community Newspapers, John O’Connell. O’Connell explained many of his own connections to Valley Stream and what he enjoyed about his current job. He spent most of his time explaining the different types of journalism. He gave feedback into what it took to be a writer for a community newspaper, and how much closer it gets the writer to the people they cover, and how they must focus on different aspects relating to these people.