“You report what you believe to be true. It’s really simple,” were Philadelphia Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes’ parting words to the students in attendance of the Communication Department’s fourth-annual Journalism Roundtable, which took place on Feb. 20 in Garey Hall.
This year’s panel focused on sports journalism, and Hayes sat alongside sports anchor for Fox 29 Breland Moore, editor of online blog Crossing Broad Kevin Kinkead, on-air host and reporter for NBC Sports Philly Taryn Hatcher and morning show co-host on 94WIP Joe DeCamara. The panel was moderated by Communication professor Michael Bradley.
“As a young sports journalist at Villanova, I wanted to learn more about the field from professionals who are at the top of their field,” junior communication major David Szczepanski said. “I’m also a huge Philly sports fan, so hearing from those who cover Philly teams was also an awesome opportunity that I could not miss…I connected most with Joe DeCamara of WIP and his advice. I listen to him and the WIP Morning Show team every morning on my way to classes. I’m a sports talk show host at Villanova and Joe’s advice about loving what you do and finding your passion in sports really stuck out to me.”
Ranging from how to get into the world of sports journalism to the incorporation of social media into journalism, the panelists offered a wide variety of advice, and it is to no surprise that the field of journalism is ever evolving with the rise in social media over the past decade.
“Honestly, I feel like I should be doing more on social media,” Moore said. “I definitely think social media allows you to connect to people, and the nice thing is it allows you to connect to athletes and coaches…so I think it’s really nice because it’s another source. I think people feel a little intimidated by emailing or formally sending in a press release to the newsroom, but with social media they can just Tweet things at me or send me a DM.”
For Hatcher, social media is more than just a tool, it is another job in itself.
“I actually restructured my whole contract so that I could have more autonomy to take paid partnerships on social media,” Hatcher said. “If you’re, especially a woman, there is a lot of money to be made on social media.”
In addition to their commentary on social media, both Moore and Hatcher touched on the rewards and challenges of being a woman in the sports industry. For sophomore communication major Mia Zebrauskas, this stood out to her.
“I really liked Michael Bradley’s question on what the two panelists thought about being women in sports, being a women of color in sports and also talking about social media,” Zebrauskas said. “I think it is a really hot topic, so I think it was good that they covered that…I really resonated with what they were saying about being a woman in sports. They talked a lot about social media and that is something that really spoke to me.”
Zebrauskas additionally mentioned that the message of storytelling struck her throughout the panel.
“At the core of everything they do is writing and storytelling,” she said. “Everything has a story, at the core, and it’s something that we want to tell the fans.”
The panelists left a positive impression on those in attendance, including sophomore communication major Genna Cottingham.
“I think it went very well. Obviously, Bradley asks very good questions, so I’m really glad he was the one facilitating that,” Cottingham said. “It’s amazing that he has all these connections that could help us as students get to where they could be in a few years. It could be us sitting there, and that’s really cool to think about. I really appreciate how they all took their time out of their busy schedules to come meet with us like the future of the industry. I really think that’s important.”
“It provided a lot of information and resources for me already in the field, but I feel like it also gave a lot of information, specifically about finding your niche, to those who are just starting or maybe not fully interested in journalism yet,” Szczepanski said. “Some of these tips, specifically about the value of being able to talk and connect with people, are helpful in many different fields. I am thankful that the Communication Department and Mr. Bradley held this event, and I’m looking forward to hopefully another roundtable soon.”
This roundtable provided not only valuable insights and inspiration for aspiring sports journalists, but practical advice on how to personalize your work and your brand image. As the future of journalism continues to evolve and change, the advice presented at the fourth-annual Journalism Roundtable will continue to be followed and valued.
