NBC 10 Boston Reporters Give NHS Journalism Students an Inside Look  

On Friday, Nov. 1,  NBC 10 Boston’s political reporter Alison King and photojournalist Sean Colahan had the courtesy to join Mrs. Colahan’s Journalism class in order to talk with students. The two reporters spoke on their day-to-day lives in the field and answered students’ questions concerning how they were led to their positions.

King, a reporter since 1990, landed her first journalism job at 28 years old. Prior to this, she got her undergraduate degree at Colgate University; however, the degree was not in journalism. Having little clue that she wanted to pursue news reporting, and not having that major option at Colgate ( a liberal arts university), she got her degree in English literature. She encourages those who may want to pursue journalism to learn about a variety of different topics. “A lot of the stuff you’re gonna learn in journalism you’ll learn on the job"" she said.

Colahan, on the other hand, started working in journalism in high school. He had been a member of his high school’s TV program. However, the organization at his school was very different than that of NHS. Colahan said, “It was all extracurricular, after school, it wasn’t a class.” After high school, Colahan worked for Ithaca College’s news station, along with majoring in Television Production. He spent one semester in London, another in Los Angeles, and another to work at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. 

During her career, Alison King has covered six presidential races, worked on a documentary on Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, and a documentary titled “The Education of Deval Patrick, the First 100 Days.” She has also interviewed former President Barack Obama in the White House. Ms. King has also traveled around the world, covering stories in Bosnia, Israel, and a number of other destinations.

Likewise, Colahan also has extensive experience, working on stories of the trials of James “Whitey” Bulger, Boston Marathon bomber Dzhkar Tsarnaev, the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, FL, the shooting of David Ortiz, and coverage of the 2016 Presidential Election with Alison King.

A highlight of the two journalists’ joined career was a feature story that the two had created. The story centered around two neighbors that support opposite sides of the political spectrum. One had displayed a large flag in support of President Trump, and in response, the other displayed a flag in opposition to President Trump. Their disagreement, though far from violent or even angry, is edited to portray that of old Western fighting on the street, giving the story a comical twist. Colahan takes note of this, claiming that “that idea and that concept kind of drove how we shot it, how we told the story. Giving it a little uniqueness without going too over the top.”

An interesting dilemma that certainly takes place when being in the position of reporting on politics is the aspect of controversy. Student reporter Danessy Auguste asked King and Colahan “what are the challenges that come with it? The challenges that come with talking about politics and also being in charge of talking about them?” 

King responded by mentioning that political tension is at an all-time high in this age, especially considering the president’s involvement in the media along with his general dislike toward news stations. King also included that she is “not a super left-leaning or right-leaning person, and it makes it a little bit easier.” She highlighted the importance of neutrality as a reporter and advises to avoid letting personal opinion obstruct the ability to create unbiased news.

Student Layla Al-Hussaini questioned the number of reporters assigned to one story, asking “how many people would go into one story?” Colahan responded by saying that only one or two reporters work on a story, allowing for many stories to be published in one day. He explained that the newsroom environment is very fast-paced and high-demand and that you may find yourself “scrambling an hour and a half before your show to find new interviews and gather new video.”

The two reporters allowed for an interesting and interactive inside look on what the journalism field really consists of, and NHS’ student reporters thought it to be a wonderful experience. After the interview, student Olivia Connor stated that “It was a really great opportunity to be able to talk to a professional about the class we’re taking, and hear about how it’s applied in real life.”