Taking his best practices from the classroom to the field, Castleton Professor of Communication David Blow was recently recognized for his journalistic talents as he received first and second place from the New York News Publishers Association and the New York State Associated Press Association respectively for a series of stories written for the Post-Star Newspaper. His three-part series featuring a column and sidebar gained recognition this summer when he rejoined the newsroom several days a week for heavy-hitting stories on local illegal immigrants and the impact of the public's current attitude toward immigration.
“The past two summers I've gone back to work being a reporter in a newsroom,” explained Blow. “I drive through Whitehall, New York every day and I see the Amish horse and buggies and the kids, so my vision of the story was maybe the Amish will save Whitehall.”
A 1989 Castleton graduate, Blow spent 15 years as a reporter and editor in Glens Falls, NY before returning to Castleton to teach in 2005. From the newsroom to the classroom he tries to instill the passion he has for journalism into Castleton's Communication students, while also serving as the advisor to the school's student-run newspaper, The Spartan, and publishing his own book entitled "Blow by Blow: A Quarter Century of Voices from My Notebook.”
“This was something I thought up on my own, I really wanted to do it, I learned a lot and really grew to appreciate and respect these people and their way of life,” said Blow. “I took all my own photos, everything that came out was mine, and I did piles of interviews just like I tell my students to do.”
Getting back into the newsroom has allowed Blow to experience how the journalism profession has changed over time, from fewer reporters to no staff photographers and an increase in social media presence, all to better prepare his students for what’s waiting beyond graduation.
“I hope it’s good for the students that I can bring this all back," he said. "If nothing else, they can read something that I wrote and they can say ‘wow he can actually do what he’s telling us.’ It’s neat validation and I hope it shows that I still have a lot of passion for this stuff.”