On April 21st, Mrs. Martinucci’s Journalism students were visited by a very friendly and knowledgeable guest speaker. Mr. John Snyder came to EHS to enlighten its aspiring journalists with his stories and insight into the world of newspaper publication.
In preparation for Snyder’s visit, Mrs. Martinucci had provided her students with samples of his articles the week before so they could come up with some interesting questions to ask him. Each student was up to the task, and came up with several.
Snyder introduced himself, shared a bit of personal history, and handed out a packet called “So You’re a Journalist, Now What?” In this packet, there are tons of ideas for stories, ways to improve an article, and methods to help level up a student’s writing.
Mr. Snyder grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and has always been attracted to reading and writing. When he completed high school, he went into the Air Force for a few years. After that, he realized he wanted to become a journalist, and attended college at the University of Colorado. After he finished college, he was in San Francisco for quite some time. He became a copy editor, a reporter, and then worked his way up to become the editor of a local paper there. As seen, Mr. Snyder has been all over the country. Fortunately, he has made his way back to the East Coast, and found his official spot as the Editor for the Pascack Press.
After he shared his backstory, Mr. Snyder opened up an informal Q&A session. One of the first questions asked was, “How do you get all this information for your articles?”
He replied, “I ask a lot of questions. I look it up and see if we’ve written it before… so I don’t ask questions that have already been asked… I know I’m not an expert, and that’s okay.”
Other questions focused on what a typical day looks like for him, the benefits and challenges of this career, and if he ever regrets his decision to go into this field. (Spoiler: He does not.)
Mr. Snyder is not afraid to take risks for a good story, and sometimes he has to cover difficult topics. This is seen in an article titled “Borough to honor Hometown Hero for life-saving actions in Parkway bus crash” where he writes about a local hero who saved individuals in an overturned bus crash that took place back in March near exit 172 of the Garden State Parkway. It details the actions taken by Matt Goldman who helped people due to his experiences as an EMT volunteer.
Another one of his articles is about a young boy who got cheered on by his elementary school for completing his leukemia treatment called “Cheers, chants, and a red carpet: ‘Shane the Brave,’ 9, honored at end-of-treatment clap out“. He writes, “Students, teachers, and families—along with the Cardinals football program, Township of Washington police and fire departments, and other well-wishers from across the district—lined the halls, school steps, and sidewalks to cheer him on, chanting Shane the Brave!” This article definitely shows how encouraging it is that communities are always there to support one another.
The Pascack Press is recognized by many people throughout Bergen County, including those in Emerson, River Vale, Park Ridge, and many more towns. This publication gives people free access to covered news, and informs and entertains communities with its amazing and interesting stories.
We asked Mr. Snyder, “How do you choose which stories to cover? Which was your favorite story to cover?”
He commented, “I’d have to think about that. Anything that surprises me. I like to learn new things. When someone tells me I got their story right, it really makes me happy. We wrote an article on Hurricane Sandy and the local heroes, and it meant a lot to us.”
The Journalism class enjoyed spending time asking questions, reading issues of newspapers he’s been published in, and learning important information about how to grow as a writer.
Thank you, Mr. Snyder!
