Broadcast Journalism Alumni Reporting From CGTN Beijing, CW 33, and More!

April 16, 2018

There is no better source of information regarding trends in American journalism than the Knight Foundation. The foundation is funded by the proceeds of the sale of the national Knight-Ridder newspaper chain, which took place just before the business model for local newspapers collapsed.

Strictly nonpartisan, and rooted in the realities of journalism today, the foundation just posted a report on the impact of new media on local TV news. The summary is well-worth reading, as it explains how local TV news has — so far — avoided the dramatic decline in viewership seen by network news programs. It also exams the strategies stations are using to become cross-platform distributors of news.

Ongoing trade tensions between the United States and China have meant some very long days for NYFA Broadcast Journalism grad Grace Shao. Here is her summary of one of those days, reporting for CGTN from Beijing:
What a day! Woke up at 0500 to the White House’s announcement of a proposed tariff on 100 bln dollars worth of Chinese goods … then proceeded to do a live cross with DC at 0800, 0900, 0930 and live cross with Beijing at 1400 while waiting for the Chinese MFA & MOFCOM’s official response … at 1700 I aired a pkg summarizing the U.S.-China trade tension which was aired again at 1900 … at 2030 MOFCOM held a press briefing and I finally got to wrap up the day with the official response, finishing a final package at 2300….and now sitting on my couch, I’ve never felt more satisfied eating a tub of ice cream!
Closer to home, alum Melissa Aleman has moved from New York City to the heart of Texas — Dallas, to be precise. And after doing some freelance work, she is about to start working at CW 33.
I wanted to fill you in on the CW 33 journey. I got the job as AP for NewsFix! I’m very excited for this opportunity. I will be starting April 18! Thank you for everything you and the instructors taught me in NYFA! 
BTW, you may have seen Melissa’s picture in the current NYFA Viewbook. That’s Melissa on the right … Her classmate with the camera, Lara Gato, is now an Associate Producer at CBS News.
As for myself, I am just back from Vietnam where I was working on a joint China/Vietnam/U.S. project. It’s something of an understatement to say it was a “challenge” working in three languages, but it was a great experience. I ended up spending a good deal of time in the countryside, including up in the Central Highlands, which saw far too much fighting during what is known there as “The American War.” Da Nang, which used to be more of a small town than a city, has grown exponentially…