Marie Campagna Franklin, affectionately known as Profa, is a well known professor of journalism at Lasell College. Starting her professional career as a high school teacher, she made the leap to journalism ten years later. Having obtained an editorial position at the Boston Globe, she wrote and edited educational articles. Franklin also wrote the nationally syndicated column ‘Teaching Tools’ from 1992-2002. In 2004, she was the founding editor of ‘Teens in Print’ a section of the Boston Globe written by high school students from the area. Now, she is a professor of communication at Lasell College, helping many students in the communication department find their way. An Italian through and through she also teaches an introductory course of Italian culture to freshman students. She has been to Italy numerous times and shares her passion with all students that pass through her classroom.
HC: You have been working in communication for many years, what made you originally want to be in journalism?
MCF: I have loved newspapers since I was a child. My dad read three papers a day and I think, in order to spend time with him, I started reading with him at the kitchen table as soon as I could read. When I was a Girl Scout in elementary school, I wrote stories about my troop for the local, town paper. In high school, I wrote for my school’s paper; same thing in college. My college journalism professor took us to the Boston Globe one afternoon on a field trip and I was hooked from the get-go. The sound of the typewriters, the ringing phones, the sense of urgency in the newsroom. It was then,I think, that I first thought, ‘wow, this could be a career for me.’
HC:You worked for the Boston Globe for many years, what experience at the Globe made the biggest impact on you?
MCF: The Globe was a wonderful place to work. What impressed me most was how smart and dedicated to telling their stories all the journalists on staff were. Everyone had a job to do—the editors, the reporters, photographers, designers, advertising salespeople—-and somehow, every day this group of people worked together to put out an excellent product. A friend of mine from the BG used to call us “The Daily Miracle,” and I thought that was a fine description of who we were. Also, I was in the buidling on 9/11 when the first plane hit the Towers. I will never forget how the staff came together for the next several weeks to tell the stories of all the people involved.
HC: What made you want to make the transition from working editorial at the Globe to teaching here at Lasell?
MCF: I started my career as a high school English teacher and after 10 years, made the switch to journalism. Finally, after 25 years with the BG, I realized ‘been there, done that,’ and decided my greatest fulfillment would come by being with young people and passing on what I had learned to the next generation of communicators. And, let’s not forget…there was June, July, and August off from work and time on Cape Cod. I’ve never looked back.
HC: What advice would you give to aspiring journalists and communication students?
MCF: Read as many different newspapers and news websites as you can. The best way to learn to write well is to read good writing. Get as many internships as possible. This will help you improve your skills and demonstrate success in the workplace. Finally, get involved with your campus newspaper and website. These are resources that can help grow your skills while you are in college.