Matt Taibbi, writer for Rolling Stone Magazine, gave the keynote address at the Montclair High School Civics and Government Institute’s second annual media symposium. Mr. Taibbi stressed the importance of journalism that really understands and explains the issues and can be presented in ways people can understand and relate to.
Jim Axelrod, “CBS Evening News” reporter; Mary Knowles, producer for “Real Time with Bill Maher”; Scott Norvell, founder of Next Media Studios; Neal Wilson, optimization manager at Bing; Stacie Passon, writer and director of the film “Concussion”; Denise Lewis Patrick, author of the American Girl Book series “Meet Cecile,” and Jay Schreiber, sports editor for The New York Times, participated in a round table discussion about the changing role of media before meeting with students in small groups to answer questions about their professions.
“I couldn’t believe the guests we got. They were really impressive. They were eclectic and even though they came from different parts of the media world, they all seemed to agree on things,” Senior Eli Maskin said.
Many of the guests stressed the importance of being a versatile person who follows his or her passions. “Even though media has changed through technology, the fundamentals, like good writing and creativity remain essential,” Sophomore Max Kraidelman said.
“It was an amazing learning opportunity for our students to be exposed to these esteemed professionals and learn about various viewpoints on modern media,” Civics and Government Institute Lead Teacher Tom Manos said.