The era when most of stories you’d read every morning in local and national newspapers were formulated according to an “inverted pyramid” is long gone. Today, it isn’t unusual for a front page story in The Washington Post or The Wall Street Journal to begin with a vivid scene, continue with a snatch of colorful dialogue, or a provocative anecdote, and proceed in a narrative fashion. Even the “Gray Lady,” as The New York Times is sometimes called, isn’t so gray anymore.
Editorial developments like these have eroded the lines between various forms of journalism. Skills that were once the province of the magazine writer are in demand in virtually every medium: books, newspaper, television news and documentaries. We emphasize the basic skills and techniques that will equip a graduate to work in any of these areas.
Our students master the basics in an introductory sequence of reporting and writing classes. They master the literature through a number of intensive reading seminars. Finally, they put all these skills together in a number of specialized reporting classes, such as Ted Conover’s The Journalism of Empathy; Michael Norman's courses in non-fiction narrative; and the department honors track, Portfolio, taught by Robert Boynton. All teach students how to generate ideas, develop them into stories, report them thoroughly, and, finally, write pieces that are lucid, compelling and elegant.
Many of our applicants aspire to work in the world of New York magazines with its strong “back of the book” focus on arts, fashion, leisure, sports, entertainment, ideas, and literature and we bear this clearly in mind.
Our location in New York’s Greenwich Village puts us in close proximity to some of the best writers and editors in the country. Many of them teach in the department or are members of our “affiliated writers” program, guest lecturing, critiquing student work and advising students on an informal basis. Editors and writers from some of America’s best magazines and newspapers frequently visit classes, critiquing student stories and queries, and introducing them to the world of publishing.
At NYU, we view magazine writing less as a medium than as a way to look at the world with insight, intelligence and a distinctive point of view.
