On Thursday, August 22, students from the Press Pass NYC Student Journalism Leaders Fellowship, a group of rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors who attend NYC public schools, visited the Central Harlem headquarters of The Amsterdam News. They began with an overview of digital editor Josh Barker’s career in journalism and then embarked on a tour of four historic floors and more than a century of publishing history.
The Amsterdam News building, which has been the home of the paper since 1938, is a prewar building with linoleum floors, no elevator, and hundreds of stacks of old files and massive, leather-bound, dusty books of old issues. Prior to the pandemic, many of the floors were in greater use, but have since become storage. Nowadays, the office comprises 30 people, most of which are remote. Still, “We’re more than just a newspaper… We are family,” said Barker, as he characterized the close-knit dynamic of the paper. “As an African American newspaper, we treasure this building so much because it’s a legacy news publication.”
Rising junior Francesca Kamali described the value she found in the community journalism and Black ownership of the Amsterdam News: “Seeing how it highlighted a specific perspective for a specific group was really cool.”
As Barker toured students through the various offices of the paper, which at times have hosted movie sets, he explained other careers that students could pursue in journalism, outside of writing or editing, including graphic design, selling advertisements, and working in human resources. Several Press Pass students expressed interest in these types of careers, including Kamali, who is interested in the business side of journalism.
By the well-worn brown couch outside of publisher Elinor Tatum’s second-floor office, Barker described to students the historical significance of the Amsterdam News: “Everybody from Barack Obama to Hillary Clinton, to Jesse Jackson to Al Sharpton, this is where they sit to wait before they go to talk to Elinor.” Barker also told of the works of Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and W.E.B. Du Bois being published in the paper, further exemplifying the paper’s historical significance leading up to the Civil Rights Movement.
Another highlight was the fourth floor, capturing an era of journalism long gone. With its CDs, DVDs, out-of-commission equipment, and archives dating back decades, it’s no wonder why the likes of True Crime used the office as a shooting location, and it has been suggested that following a series of renovations, it should become a museum. Barker suggested it would always be open for the community to help capture 115 years of journalistic impact across multiple crucial eras of American history.
Press Pass student journalists also got to interview investigative reporter Shannon Chaffers, whose story “America’s Safety Net is Failing Gun Violence Survivors as they Struggle to Return to Work” was on the front page that week. Her piece took 4-5 months to complete, and is part of a greater series about the impacts of gun violence called “Beyond The Barrel Of The Gun.” Chaffers suggested that students get involved in journalism wherever possible. “If your school has a newspaper, definitely try and join it,” Chaffers advised. Barker recommended that aspiring journalists practice writing and shadow professional journalists to build skills. Journalism, Barker explained, is “all about relationships.”
