Browning Grytte Staff Hosts Journalism Conference

On the afternoon of February 22, over 70 students from 12 New York independent schools, including Browning, Brearley, Marymount, Chapin, Spence, Trinity, Regis, Collegiate, Nightingale, Dalton and Riverdale gathered in Browning's Kurani Gymnasium for the 2017 Interschool Journalism Conference.

The event, hosted by the Browning Grytte staff, gathered student journalists from across New York City for a panel with seasoned industry professionals as well as a breakout session wherein editors, writers and photographers alike could discuss the common challenges, issues and successes they face as student journalists.

The first hour of the conference featured a panel of notable journalists, including David Callaway '82, CEO of TheStreet and former editor-in-chief of USA Today; Vanessa O’Connell, deputy US news editor at The Wall Street Journal; Warren St. John, CEO of Patch; and Max Chafkin, a feature writer for Bloomberg Businessweek. Moderated by Grytte Managing Editor Caleb H. Sussman ’18, the panel fielded questions concerning both the administrative and creative facets of the journalism industry. Potent discussions were held on topics ranging from the role of a free press in a democracy to the day-to-day agenda of large, national news organizations.

“The panel was a thriller, and the Grytte staff truly enjoyed listening to what the speakers had to say,” said Editor-in-chief George Grimbilas ’18.

“I loved the discussion with staff from other papers," said Irene Loewenson ’18, managing editor of the Brearley Zephyr. "The editors I spoke with shared many creative ideas, some of which we plan to implement in our next issue.”

The Grytte staff appreciates all of the help they received in organizing this event and would like to give special thanks to Mrs. Christine Bramble, Ms. Soo Mi Thompson, Ms. Susan Levine, Mr. Jim Simon, the maintenance and cafeteria staff and, especially, Mr. Jeremy Katz '04, advisor to the Grytte.