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Summer 2009 |
Number 2 |
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Meet our Adjunct FacultyJoe BergantinoBy Margaret Howe '10 Many adjunct professors in the BC Communication Department bring to their classroom decades of industry experience and sheer passion for their livelihood-one of the best examples is Professor Joe Bergantino. A part time faculty member for the past 14 years, Prof. Bergantino has spent most of his time on the Heights teaching News Writing. Although he doesn't plan to stop teaching this class, Bergantino has introduced another class to the roster this past semester: News Ethics. This new class deals with the questions and ethical struggles of journalism that reporters and journalists face every day in their work. Bergantino brings practical advice, expertise and an insider's view to the class. He should have one: he's one of New England's most decorated and provocative investigative journalists. For 22 years, Bergantino worked for WBZ TV Channel 4 News (CBS) as an investigative reporter, opening up some of the largest cans of worms New England has ever seen. Take the Catholic clergy scandal a few years back: Bergantino's reporting on sexual abuse in the Church triggered criminal investigation and caught national attention. "Being the watchdog is very important to me," Bergantino says. The future of this watchdog, investigative journalism, which Bergantino describes as his passion, is at risk. With news going online, more and more newspapers are shutting down. The content of investigative stories has gotten less meaty, according to Bergantino, and much less serious in the past few years. Because of this unfortunate decline, Bergantino has very recently set up the New England Center for Investigative Reporting on the campus of Boston University, to ensure the survival of investigative journalism. The NECIR provides stories for media outlets such as the Boston Globe, New England Cable News, and public radio station 90.9 WBUR. Bergantino is quick to note that he enjoys igniting the storytelling passion in BC students and says it is personally "fulfilling to work with students and watch them grow and learn in this profession."
Jon MarcusBy Sarah Zucco '10 Jon Marcus has been an adjunct professor in the Communication Department for eight years. He teaches two electives; Feature Writing and Advanced Journalism. Marcus's Advanced Journalism class is considered a new course this year, but the class was actually taught a few years ago by an editor from the Boston Globe. According to Marcus, his Advanced Journalism class goes one step beyond the news and feature writing courses offered at Boston College. Marcus holds an undergraduate degree from Bates College and a graduate degree from Columbia University. Marcus started in journalism as an intern for the Boston Globe. He has worked for the Associated Press and as an editor at Boston Magazine. Besides teaching journalism classes at Boston College, he also occasionally teaches undergraduate and graduate classes at BU. "I also teach at the other university down the road I forget the name of," jokes Marcus. Besides teaching, Marcus is currently writing a book for Random House and freelances for magazines, such as Conde Nast Traveler. Marcus incorporates real life examples and gives advice from his own experiences as a journalist to help his students understand the industry and become better writers. "One piece of advice I have given my students is to never be afraid to ask a question." |
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