In the media epicenter that is New York City, it might seem that every bit of news is being covered by some news outlet. Not so, says Whitney Dangerfield, publications director at New York University’s . And Dangerfield sees many opportunities for NYU student journalists to fill gaps in local news coverage.
Dangerfield, a journalist of 20 years, is actively creating her own role in a position she has held for a little more than a year. “I'm new to academia,” she said. “The job is a new role. It could go in lots of different directions.” She noted that she has met with professors across the institute to learn about what is needed most and how she can help.
The overarching goal of Dangerfield’s role is to help students . One way to do this is to identify what’s already worked. Dangerfield has started what she calls a “pitch collective”: time set aside twice a week for students to workshop their ideas and refine their pitches. This is also a place where students can learn from each other’s experiences. The publication process requires its own set of skills, Dangerfield noted, and students who have been through it can pass knowledge on to those hoping to break in.
Published students might explain “what they wish they would have done differently, how they got in touch with (media outlets).”
She has found that many up-and-coming student journalists are interested in the finer details of contacting editors. “Everyone wants to know, ‘What's the subject line on your email, or how long did you wait until you followed up?’” Dangerfield said. “I can be up here talking about ideas and framing, and the students are (saying), ‘Okay, (but) what's the subject line on the email?’ They want to know, like, the nitty gritty parts of (the process) … And I'm trying to help them.”
She distributes a monthly newsletter, which includes a Q&A with a journalist in the field, as well as calls for pitches, published work and other information. When students publish their work, it’s cause for celebration among them all. She also plans panels with editors.
Looking ahead, Dangerfield wants to expand opportunities for students by pitching projects that cover municipal affairs not currently receiving much attention — school board meetings, for example. Another possibility is expanding the student journalists’ geographic reach into corners of New York where in-depth news coverage is scarce. Dangerfield noted she is thinking about how to partner with different professors to get some of these ideas off the ground.
Creating relationships with editors has been a key component of her job. “I have been talking to publications, like more local newspapers,” Dangerfield said. Many are looking for content.
For example, Dangerfield has spoken with local news editors at , which covers New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania; City Limits, which covers policy around homelessness and inequality in New York City; and Epicenter, a publication whose motto is “Doing Good for the Hood.”
She has helped students successfully pitch to , whose newspapers focus on neighborhoods in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island; Hell Gate, a new New York City publication; and Brooklyn Magazine, which covers culture and news in Brooklyn.
Hyperlocal news, focused on individual neighborhoods, is another potential avenue for student journalists to contribute to city coverage, Dangerfield said. “Everyone thinks New York is really covered, but actually there are lots of holes.”