Year: Senior
Major/Minor: Print Journalism/History
As the Editor-in-Chief of Hofstra University’s longest running student publication, The Hofstra Chronicle, senior Joe Pantorno is at the helm of all things Hofstra.
Pantorno explains what its like to have his finger on the pulse of campus occurrences while beginning to look forward to life after graduation.
Why did you choose your major? What made you want to pursue journalism?
I fell in love with sports journalism my junior year of high school and have always been an avid fan of athletics.
Have you had any internships thus far?
I’ve interned at the New York Post, Community News Group Local Sports, www.PhillyLacrosse.com and www.soccernation.com.
What sort of career/networking events did you attend in college?
I visited a few career fairs that Hofstra organized but I made all my contacts by going out and getting involved on my own. The only thing holding you back is yourself.
Social media is a huge part of communications. What sort of impact do you think it has? Personally, how has it benefitted you as Editor-in-Chief?
Social media is the new age of journalism. Most of kids our age get our news from these sites, whether Facebook or Twitter. This increases the desire for news greatly since it is right at our fingertips. Journalists now have to be very quick. It’s helped me a lot. I’ve certainly become a great tweeter, if that’s the right term being used. I have some pretty fast fingers, which means I can beat some competing news outlets to a story.
How has Hofstra helped your communications experience?
Hofstra has improved my abilities by leaps and bounds. I would have no idea how to go out there and be a journalist. They’ve set me up nicely for life after graduation. I know what to expect when I get out to the real world.
After you graduate, what would be your dream job?
I would love to be covering international soccer (football) and World Cups for anyone willing to have me write for them. If distance weren’t an option, I’d love to be in London covering Chelsea Football Club. I’m sure my mother would have something to say about that, but we shall see!
As a communication major, what sort of advice would you give to high school students or undergraduates who wish to pursue journalism? What would you tell them about the difficulty of getting a job?
Don’t listen to all the people trying to tell you that there are no jobs. Do what you want to do or love to do and go for it! There will always be jobs in journalism; they might just not be in the most traditional of places. If you have the desire and the right qualities, the sky is the limit.