Alumnus makes reappearance at Hawks Nest; Reporter inspires new wave of journalism

SUMMER GRACE

       Recently, alumnus and reporter Jay Greene returned to NHHS over a Teams meeting to talk to Journalism students in Mrs. Jennifer Chandler’s class.

     According to freshman Stella Manns, Greene took them around the station, showing them ways the green screen is used. “It was cool because we saw the different screens used to monitor the shows. I think the most interesting part was seeing how there wasn’t break time after a show; they were always working even after filming their noon show,” she says. 

      Greene has been a part of the industry for about 6 years now and believes a lot has changed since he started. ”I think the COVID-19 pandemic has had a big impact on that, especially when it comes to Zoom interviews. It seems people are more willing to do Zoom-style interviews rather than having a camera in their face,” he explains. 

     Greene says because of Covid, a lot of TV stations have their reporters shoot and edit entire stories on their mobile devices now. “That wasn’t as common when I started, but you see it more and more often now,” he shares. 

     He also thinks the way people consume journalism is a lot different, which is something that’s constantly changing. “People aren’t waiting for a newscast to air or a newspaper to be delivered. Everything is on-demand and news is that way, too,” Greene says. 

    “I think the future of journalism itself remains unchanged. Journalism is telling history for the future…nothing will change about that,” the reporter states. 

     Greene believes the biggest challenge local broadcasters face is social media. He says, on one hand, he and his colleagues generate lots of story ideas from posts, messages, and pages, and they can easily interact with viewers. “On the other hand, we battle a perpetual rumor mill social media creates,” Greene explains. 

     “We do our best as local journalists to get the facts, but it’s hard to do that when there’s so much information, good or bad, on social media,” he shares. Greene says social media can make it a challenge to build credibility with their viewers, and since everyone already has a hard time trusting the media, it is even more difficult.

     Greene has done this presentation a few times now and feels it’s important for students to see they can build a successful career in journalism. “I feel like I’m learning new tricks all the time. So if I can pass those off to young journalists…I’m happy to do so,” he exclaims. Greene says returning to NHHS is a trip down memory lane because he can remember walking the same hallways.

     He encourages students to be curious, do their research, meet lots of people and ask lots of questions. “It’s ALWAYS okay to ask questions. And READ! Pick at least one national news publication to read per day. It’s always a good way to develop story ideas,” Greene advises.

     “Journalism is what you make of it. Be courageous. Work hard to uncover the truth,” he says.