Credit: The New York Times

Previously, he was a reporter on the Metro desk in the City Hall Bureau from January 1999 to February 2000 and in the Newark, N.J. Bureau from December 1997 to January 1999. Before that, he was a reporter on the Metro rewrite desk from February 1997 to August 1997. Herszenhorn's other Metro assignments have included Queens neighborhoods for City Weekly, police headquarters from 1995 to 1996, the Times Neediest Cases from November 1996 to February 1997, the 1997 New York City mayoral race, the 1998 New York Senate race and the 2001 New Jersey gubernatorial primary.

Herzenhorn joined The Times as a copyboy in June 1991. He was a campus stringer from 1993-1994, a news clerk from June 1994 to March 1995, and the bureau manager and a stringer in the Boston bureau from March 1995 to July 1995 and December 1995 to July 1996. Prior to joining The Times, he worked for The Queens Courier from 1986 to 1990.

Herzenhorn earned a B.A. degree in 1994 from Dartmouth College, focusing on Asian Studies and the Middle East. He was the Editor in Chief of The Dartmouth, the daily student newspaper at Dartmouth College, in 1993. In high school, he was the Editor in Chief of The Classic, the student newspaper at Towsend Harris H.S. at Queens College, from 1988 to 1990.

Born in Flushing, N.Y. in 1972, Herszenhorn and his wife live in Queens.

Q.

8/29/01

Is the New York metro section included in national editions of the paper? If so, why?
Frank
Grade 11
Massachusetts

A.

Frank,

You ask a terrific question. Readers in different parts of the country do see different editions of The New York Times. As of January of this year, the national editions of The Times were being printed at 19 different locations across the United States and home delivery was available in 195 markets throughout the country. The local editions are distributed throughout the New York metropolitan area. Reporters are responsible for writing stories for all of the editions, but it is editors who have the tough job each night of figuring out exactly what will be printed in each edition and making sure that all of the different editions are put together properly so that people in every part of the United States are able to wake up in the morning and read their copy of The Times.

To get the answer to your question, I turned to Carolyn Lee, who is the assistant managing editor in charge of the national editions. Ms. Lee replied: "We do not have space to print the entire metropolitan report in our national editions. Nor do we think that national readers would be interested in some of the narrowly focused New York coverage. We do try to choose and print for our national editions those metro features and news articles that are most important or most entertaining or would seem to be of most interest to readers living elsewhere."

Frank, one of the important things to remember about The New York Times and other newspapers is that the amount of advertising generally determines the number of pages in the newspaper every day. The money paid by advertisers is what allows The Times to pay for all of the expenses related to covering the news and printing and distributing the newspaper. When Ms. Lee talks about not having enough space, she is referring to the fact that there are a limited number of pages that are available for "news" on any given day. The physical mechanics of printing presses also limit the total number of pages that can be printed in different sections of the newspaper. One thing that makes The New York Times different from some other newspapers is that when there is major news happening in the world, ads sometimes do get thrown out of the paper in order to make space for more stories. This is an expensive thing to do (because the newspaper loses money from the ads that are dropped), but it reflects the institutional values of The Times and the commitment of the newspaper to its journalistic mission. And ultimately it is these values that have helped The Times win the loyalty of readers and advertisers alike.

David Herszenhorn

Q.

8/27/01

Why did you become a reporter?
Latisha
Grade 7
Georgia

A.

Latisha,

My interest in newspaper journalism actually began when I was in the second grade at Public School 32 in Queens, New York. For a book report assignment, I read a biography of Adolph S. Ochs, the young printer�s devil from Tennessee who bought The New York Times in 1896 and turned it into one of the world's great newspapers. The book made working for a newspaper seem like the most fun, interesting and exciting job anyone could have.

And it is. The book, described below, is available from Black Dome Press (www.blackdomepress.com):

Printer's Devil to Publisher
Adolph S. Ochs of The New York Times
By Doris Faber
Published as part of the Times's centennial celebration, and written by a former Times reporter, Printer's Devil tells the dramatic and little-known story of how a struggling young man from Tennessee bought the nearly bankrupt New York Times in 1896 and transformed it into the best and most powerful newspaper in the world. A lively, readable biography of a barefoot boy who rose through the ranks of the newspaper business--from printer's errand boy, to printer, to publisher of a small Tennessee daily, to a position of enormous power and influence, competing with the likes of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, and consorting with presidents. With an introduction by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, current chairman of The New York Times and grandson of Adolph Ochs.
192 pp, Paper ISBN: 1-883789-09-5 16 pp, 94 illustrations, 9 maps

David Herszenhorn

Q.

8/27/01

How does someone become a reporter?
Veronica
Grade 5
Arizona

A.

Veronica,

Becoming a reporter is not difficult. In high school, you can join your school newspaper, and presto, you are a reporter. To become a "professional" reporter takes a little more time. It helps a lot to get experience by working on a college newspaper. It is also good to get experience by working on small neighborhood newspapers and by first getting internships at bigger newspapers. This way you can build up a "clip file," a scrapbook, of your stories that you can show to editors when you apply for jobs. But in the end, the only thing it takes to "become" a reporter is an interest in journalism and writing. A journalist I know once explained it this way: "To be a doctor, you need a license. To be a lawyer, you need a license. To drive a car, you need a license, and anybody can do that. To be a reporter, all you need is a pencil."

David Herszenhorn

Q.

8/27/01

What sources do reporters use?
Mary
Grade 6
California

A.

Mary,

Reporters cannot do their job without sources. But the sources a reporter uses vary a lot from story to story depending on the reporter's individual beat or assignment. And the types of sources are virtually endless. Ultimately, a newspaper like The New York Times that covers the entire world would use every imaginable person as a source in some situation or another.

Here are some examples:

The sources for political reporters include elected officials and their aides, officials in government agencies, political science professors, pollsters, political party officials, contributors to political campaigns, union leaders, as well as a whole host of public policy experts including people who run organizations that focus on specific issues like transportation or health care or housing or social services.

A court reporter uses a lot of lawyers as sources, as well as judges, law professors, law clerks and other legal experts. A court reporter would also use all sorts of legal reference works as sources, as well as old case files, transcripts and other records.

A police reporter covering crime would use many police officials as sources: chiefs, detectives and other investigators. But the reporter would also use a lot of eyewitnesses as sources or relatives of people who are accused of crimes or people who are victims of crimes or relatives of victims of crimes. Police reporters would also use sources in the district attorney's office.

A reporter covering education would have sources in the Board of Education -- school superintendents and people like that. But an education reporter would also use principals and teachers as sources, as well as parents of students and others who are involved with schools and education.

A reporter who writes about food, cooking and restaurants would have a lot of sources who are chefs or who own restaurants. A food reporter might also talk to cook book authors, wine experts and food manufacturers.

Sports reporters have sources that include team officials, players, managers, coaches, league officials, team owners, players' union leaders. I think you get the idea.

An important thing to remember is that responsible reporters will always carefully verify information provided by sources. Often, when covering a controversial subject, reporters will want to have two or more "independent" sources confirming certain pieces of information before they are printed. By "independent" sources, we mean people who are able to confirm the same information firsthand and would not have gotten that information from each other.

And it is very important for information in newspaper stories to be attributed to named sources as much as possible. An important way that journalists build confidence among readers is by clearly telling them how we know the facts that we report, so it is vital that as much information as possible be attributed to named sources.

In some situations, it is necessary to use "anonymous" sources, because people who are providing information don't want to be identified for some reason. But this can't be done just because a person is shy. There has to be a good reason, and at The New York Times we always try to explain to readers why a person does not want to be identified. Maybe it is because they are afraid they will lose their job or because revealing their name might put their life in danger. And if a source wants to say something criticizing someone else, they must be willing to be quoted by name. It is simply unfair to let someone criticize others anonymously.

Reporters at The Times are not allowed to attribute information simply to "sources" or "a source." Instead, the source, even when he or she will not be named, has to be described as much as possible. For example, "A White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity" or a "relative of the victim" or "a teacher at the school who asked not to be identified." These descriptions help readers know where our information is coming from.

David Herszenhorn

Q.

August 14, 2001

I just started to make my own newspaper by myself. I call it "The 6th Grade Times." Any advice to a beginning newspaper owner and a beginning writer?
Peter
Grade 6
Pennsylvania

A.

Peter,

My first advice to a beginning newspaper owner is to be strict about deadlines. The most important thing is to get your first couple of issues published. Better to print an issue with just a few pages than to wait to fill it with more stuff and have the news get stale. Also, don't forget that printing a paper costs money, so you might want to sell an advertisement or two.

To a beginning writer, my only advice is to jump in. I am sure there are tons of interesting things to cover for the 6th Grade Times. Pick an interesting classmate or teacher and write a profile. Find a couple of events that are happening and write quick news stories.

Remember that for news stories the most important stuff is who, what, when, where, why and how. Be sure to include all that information.

My only other advice is don't forget that by next year, you and your paper will be headed for 7th grade. So you might want to re-think the name of the paper, or else start grooming a successor. Most recently, control of The New York Times has passed from father to son, but you might consider a younger brother or sister or friend.

David Herszenhorn

Q.

August 14, 2001

Is it hard to be a reporter?
Karol
Grade 6
Oklahoma

A.

Karol,

Sometimes it is definitely hard to be a reporter, but it is also fun and very rewarding. The job can most difficult when people refuse to give you information or, even worse, when some people lie or give you wrong information on purpose. Being a reporter for a daily newspaper is also difficult when story is complicated and involves a lot of information and there is very little time to gather it all and write the story before deadline.

Being a reporter can also mean that you have to travel and be away from home a lot, which is also hard at times. But reporters tend to love their jobs, to really enjoy meeting new people and learning new things all the time and to rush to try to keep up with history as it is happening every single day.

David Herszenhorn

Q.

August 14, 2001

What measures do newspapers take to stay competitive?
Samantha
Grade 12
Hong Kong

A.

Samantha,

Newspapers struggle to stay competitive all the time, mostly by trying to come up with stories and news developments that other newspapers, television and radio stations, magazines and Internet sites have not found out about. In other words, newspapers are always looking for good "scoops" -- that can mean finding out about a new government policy ahead of everybody else, or being the first newspaper to interview somebody important, or uncovering something that has been hidden or unknown for some reason.

Newspapers that want to be really competitive always keep on eye on their competitors, --not just other newspapers but all types of media. They also often have a team of "investigative" reporters looking for scoops. And they also have good editors who are always trying to be more creative about ideas for all kinds of stories in all of the different sections of the newspaper.

One easy way to stay competitive is to make sure that the reporters on different beats are always trying to know more than the competition. For a reporter, this means that you have to have better sources -- more people who are able to tell you reliable information about what's going on that you might not know about.

Sometimes when a reporter wants to be the first to get an interview, he or she might wait for hours, even through the night, for a source to come out from behind closed doors.

But being competitive is not only about being "first." It's also about trying to be better -- to be smarter, more trustworthy, more interesting, more complete and more authoritative about the news. Getting a story first really isn't impressive if you get the story wrong.

David Herszenhorn

Q.

August 14, 2001

What are the benefits of being a journalist?
Hamsiah and Wan
Grade 12
Malaysia

A.

Hamsiah and Wan,

In my opinion, one of the best benefits of being a journalist is having the ability to make an important contribution to society and to democracy. Information is extremely powerful and can often change people's lives. A good newspaper story can help political leaders make decisions on how to run the government. A good newspaper story can also draw attention to people who need help or expose wrongdoing. Without a free press, it is impossible to have a free society.

On a personal level, some of the benefits of being a journalist are that you always get to meet new people, see new places, learn about interesting things and ask a lot of questions.

You also get to see a lot of things firsthand that most people will only get to read about or see on television. Another benefit is that unlike many other jobs, as a journalist your obligation is to the truth -- not to money or any other interest.

David Herszenhorn

Q.

8/7/01

What does it take for me to become a successful reporter?
Sharicka
Grade 11
Florida

A.

Sharicka,

The easiest first step to becoming a successful reporter is to work on your school newspaper. Many great reporters started out that way -- and it makes sense because working for a school paper is really not much different than working on a big paper like The New York Times. At any level, a successful reporter has to have a huge curiosity about the world he or she lives in and absolutely has to love asking questions, lots of them.

Whenever I do high school journalism workshops, I always urge students to use school -- high school and college -- to learn about the things that they hope to write about, whether it's politics or theater or business or science, and to learn how to write for newspapers by actually doing it -- writing and reporting for your school newspaper or your local neighborhood newspaper or anywhere else you can find the opportunity.

And just as important as writing your own newspaper stories whenever you get the chance is reading as much as you possibly can. Read different newspapers, and read stories by reporters and writers that you like. Think hard about why you like what you are reading and what the reporter had to do to accomplish that. Try to break stories down paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence and even word by word.

A truly successful reporter is someone whose stories have the most information and are consistently fair and accurate, no matter how complex or controversial the news may be. So to be a successful reporter, you have to have an unwavering commitment to truth. And the way you prove this is by doing it, over and over again. Clippings of stories you have written are the most important thing you bring to any interview for a newspaper job.

And, like everything else in life, to be successful as a reporter you have to be willing to work hard -- that means working hard in school, working hard to improve your reporting and writing skills, and working hard on each and every story assignment that you get. And don't forget to have fun. The most successful reporters love doing what they do every day.

David Herszenhorn

Q.

8/7/01

What things do you always keep in mind while conducting an interview?
Rachel
Grade 12
United States

A.

Rachel,

There are tons of things that I keep in mind during an interview -- the most important probably are that my pen and my tape recorder (if I am using it) are working properly. (If it's raining and my interview is outside, I always make sure I have a pencil because ink runs when it gets wet.) And I always take notes even when the tape recorder is running. It helps to find things on the tape later and is a good back-up if the tape fails.

It's important to prepare for interviews as much as possible ahead of time. The more you know about your subject and the issues you are asking about, the more time you can spend asking about things that you would never know without talking to the person. Having a list of questions in advance is a great help. And it's important to think about the order of your questions. It's almost always better to save the questions that are going to make someone angry until the end of the interview so that you get all your other answers before they decide to stop talking to you.

Sometimes the best interviews are more like conversations with questions sprinkled in, rather than very formal question and answer sessions. During any interview, I try to keep the conversation focused on the information I need, but I also want to give my subject the chance to say unexpected things, to talk about stuff that I might not even have known to ask about. It's also important not to be so tied to your list of questions that you don't ask important follow-up questions that aren't on your list. Often a person's answers in an interview lead to new questions that you could not have predicted.

I always keep in mind to get any basic information that I need at the beginning of an interview -- the person's full name, with correct spelling, their middle initial, their age, where they live, what they do for a living, their phone number if I might need to call them back at some point.

I also try to keep in mind whether the person I am interviewing has a lot of experience dealing with the press or whether it is someone who is rarely ever interviewed by reporters. I make sure that the person I am interviewing knows that they are speaking to a reporter and that everything is "on the record" -- meaning I can print what they say and quote them in my story. As a reporter, I don't interview people for my own personal curiosity, it's my job to interview people and write about what they say.

Lots of times people say things during interviews and then say, "Oh, you are not going to print that, are you?" Too bad for them. I am a newspaper reporter doing an interview, not a priest hearing a confession.

It's also important not to forget that looking is as important as listening during an interview. I always take notes about how a person looks when I am interviewing them. What are they wearing? What are their facial characteristics? What expressions are they making when they talk? What is their tone of voice? Are they smiling or rolling their eyes or crying? What's going on around the person as they are talking? All these are important details to include in a story.

Sometimes it's hard to keep up when a person is speaking fast and I am trying to take notes, but I always keep in mind that the quotes for my story have to be complete and accurate -- which means that sometimes I have to ask people to slow down or to repeat things if I am not sure that I heard them correctly.

I also always keep in mind that being a responsible, fair reporter often means you have to ask tough questions, questions that might make people uncomfortable, even questions that can be embarrassing or seem intrusive. If that happens, I try to explain why the question is necessary. The person being interviewed always has the right not to answer, but as a journalist I have a responsibility to ask the questions.

And at the end of an interview, I always try to ask the person if there is anything else that�s important

David Herszenhorn

Q.

8/7/01

I love journalism and admire the people who write insight on news so well. I want to major in journalism. What are some good journalism colleges, and where can I find journalism scholarships?
Heather
Grade 11
Tennessee

A.

Heather,

I really appreciate your love of journalism, and I'm thrilled that you are interested in pursuing journalism in college. The most important thing you can possibly do if you want to learn about journalism in college is to apply to schools that have daily college newspapers. In my opinion, having a daily college newspaper to work on is far more important and useful than majoring in journalism, especially if you want to go on to a career in journalism. The clips you will get from writing for your college paper will be the most important thing you have to show when looking for your first job, and the experience is something you will always appreciate.

There are tons of great colleges and universities with daily newspapers. All eight Ivy League schools have daily papers. (I worked on my college daily at Dartmouth.) There are also fantastic daily papers at Stanford University, UC-Berkeley, Northwestern University, Duke University, the University of Michigan, Tufts University, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville -- the list goes on and on. Some of these papers are huge, with circulations in the tens of thousands and annual budgets climbing into the millions. And they are all run by students.

Working on a college daily also gives you a chance to be part of the entire newspaper process -- not just writing but editing, layout and design, photography, etc.

I would strongly urge you to use your undergraduate classes to learn about what you want to write about rather than how to write for newspapers. Go to the best school you can, and get the best all around liberal arts education that you can, majoring in whatever fascinates you most -- politics or history or international affairs or economics, whatever. And use the college newspaper to learn actual reporting and writing.

If you do want to take journalism classes, I would recommend graduate school for journalism -- Columbia University is widely regarded as having the best program in the country, but the Medill School at Northwestern University and the journalism school at the University of Missouri-Columbia are not far behind.

If you are still intent on majoring in journalism as an undergraduate, Northwestern again would be a great choice. But even there, the school limits the number of journalism courses you can take, and there are numerous other requirements to insure that you get a broad education.

To find journalism scholarships, I would use the same reference books that list scholarships in all areas. I'm sure there are some out there, I just don't know about them. If you are a good writer, I would also keep an eye out for scholarships that are given as a result of essay competitions. Good luck!

David Herszenhorn