Wantagh’s journalism classes, taught by Mr. Kravitz, visited Hofstra University for Press Day where we learned about various aspects of the Journalism community. 

The main topic of the day was Fake News: What it is and How to Spot it. It began with a welcoming ceremony where we were introduced to Peter Goodman, the associate professor of communications, Mark Lukasiewicz, the dean of the Herbert School of communication, and Andrea Nadler, the senior associate dean of the Office of Admission. 

They explained Hofstra’s Journalism program. Next, Kelly Fincham, the associate professor of the Department of Journalism, taught us methods on how to know if news is fake. She even included a few examples where she questioned us as to whether the website looked reliable or not. The small details like the company logo being a bit off or ludicrous titles of articles were the commonalities that gave it away. 

Fincham remained on stage as she was joined by other experienced journalists including Genetta M. Adams, managing editor of The Root, and N.J. Burkett, correspondent of WABC-TV, for a panel session where students asked questions to further their knowledge in the communication field. 

During the scheduled campus tour, Wantagh’s students stopped by the bio lab to visit Mr. Kravitz’s friend, the ice hockey goalie/biology professor Michael Dores. He gave us a sense of what it’s like to hear a college lecture. What he taught about cellular biology was very interesting. He also showed us brain cells he was growing under a microscope. After visiting Professor Dores, they went to the Mack Student Center for lunch. There were a lot of choices from pizza to Mexican food and Starbucks. Starbucks seemed like hottest commodity of the trip.

At lunch we ran into former Wantagh journalism student and current Hofstra sophomore Jimmy Joyce. 

The day was a success and a fun trip for all 17 of us. 

“I really liked that because (the Hofstra professors) were very straight forward,” said Wantagh junior Michael Minars.  “They talked about real events and it made it very relateable.”