After my freshman year in college, I decided I wanted to become a sportswriter. I started at Rutgers University with the intention of majoring in computer science, but I got Cs in my computer classes and As in my writing classes. I thought maybe I would be better off writing stories than trying to write computer programs.



	I loved reading all the sports coverage from all the daily papers in New York and New Jersey (where I&rsquo;m from), so being a sportswriter seemed like the best idea. Hockey was a big deal at the time &ndash; the Islanders were in the midst of their dynasty &ndash; so I wanted to write about hockey.



	I transferred to St. John&rsquo;s University and changed my major to journalism. I worked at the St. John&rsquo;s student paper, The Torch, and was the sports editor when the men&rsquo;s basketball team made the NCAA Final Four in 1985. I became the first Black editor-in-chief of the paper, and served as editorial page editor as well.



	After graduation, I started my career with a summer internship at a small paper in Bridgewater, New Jersey. That eventually became a full-time job covering local news, and after a year-and-a-half, I switched to sports, covering high schools. Not long after that, I got my first pro sports job, covering hockey for The Asbury Park Press, and from there I went to the Daily News, where I covered the Islanders, and on to The Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey, where I covered college basketball and did some general assignment sports reporting. I joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Rangers.



	Good sports writing is all about tapping into people&rsquo;s passion for sports, and giving them the content they need and crave for about their teams. Newsday always has been a leader in providing accurate, thoughtful coverage of Long Islanders&rsquo; favorite sports teams, and when I came on board, I became part of one of the best teams of sports journalists in the business.

Colin Stephenson

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Colin discovered his passion for storytelling during his college years. With a deep love for sports, he embarked on a career that&rsquo;s taken him from covering college basketball to the NHL for Newsday, where he delivers sports coverage that Long Islanders crave every day.

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Newsday Journalists: Colin Stephenson

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When the Fun Book came to my parents&rsquo; front door each spring, I&rsquo;d run off with it before they could give it a read and return it with circled listings and pages ripped out &ndash; my own edits of what would shape my grade-school summer vacations.



	It was an unusual feeling years later when I worked on my first Fun Book behind the scenes with the ExploreLI staff. And an even stranger feeling when that book came to my parents&rsquo; front door in 2020 with my name inside as one of the editors.



	Helping Long Islanders fill their limited &ndash; and coveted &ndash; down time with activities that are new, popular or even traditional is one of the parts of my job I enjoy most. A new ride at Adventureland; a holiday-themed restaurant with a limited run; a zip-line at Jones Beach &ndash; they&rsquo;re all activities that my younger self would have jumped at the chance to try, and ones that I&rsquo;ve had a hand in coverage of for today&rsquo;s Newsday readers.



	My favorite stories involve breaking the news of an exciting new activity that&rsquo;ll shake up our routines (Think: mobile axe-throwing cages that come to your door or a pedal-powered boat you can ride with friends). But there&rsquo;s nothing like tapping into a story that hits just the right note of nostalgic appeal. When Safety Town got a $110,000 facelift earlier this year, reporting on it felt like I was reminiscing of my childhood with thousands of friends I&rsquo;d never met.



	I first joined the Newsday team in 2012 working for ExploreLI. While my career since has taken me to various beats across Newsday and beyond &ndash; covering social media, town news, snowstorms, TV, theater and NYC events &ndash; my experience came full circle when I landed back with the ExploreLI team in 2019.



	Newsday is an important part of my story, and I&rsquo;m honored to continue to share Long Island&rsquo;s story with our readers.

Meghan Giannotta

Meghan Gianotta

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Meghan loves breaking the news of exciting and fun things to do that help Long Islanders live their best life.

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Newsday Journalists: Meghan Giannotta

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To say that I&rsquo;ve always wanted to be a local news reporter, holding powerful people and institutions to account, would be perfect for a story like this. But it wouldn&rsquo;t be true.



	As a teen, my interest in journalism was motivated by a desire to find a career that would pay me to watch baseball. I grew up reading Newsday &mdash; but only the sports section. I once made a scrapbook of a Yankees&rsquo; season using the paper&rsquo;s box scores and headlines. I edited the sports section of my college paper.



	But when I began mailing resumes to newspaper sports editors, I had no luck. Until one of them passed my material to his counterpart in the metro section, where reporters covered late night town council meetings, scoured early morning police blotters and spent the time in between hearing the often-conflicting concerns of business and civic leaders; average parents and taxpayers.



	It has now been 20 years since I took that first job writing about local communities. For the last 12 years, I&rsquo;ve done that work for Newsday, my hometown paper. I now have the privilege of being an investigative reporter, sometimes devoting many months to the same topic. My colleagues and I exposed corporate deceit and government failure that led to Long Island&rsquo;s biggest environmental crisis; pierced the secrecy around how police departments police themselves and, most recently, uncovered the unorthodox and potentially improper ways that the campaign of controversial Rep. George Santos spent money.



	But I still try to think of each story as I did when it had to be produced in an hour or two on deadline: Am I writing about something that a reader would want to know, would need to know or, most importantly, would not have known otherwise?



	I never was paid to watch baseball, but I&rsquo;m fortunate that I get to answer those questions each day &mdash; as a local news reporter.

Paul LaRocco

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Newsday Journalists: Paul LaRocco

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JoNel Aleccia

Long Island

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"I am terrified for the people of Long Island," one official said about the region, where 14% of drivers involved in deadly crashes did not have a license. Newsday examines LI's dangerous roads in a yearlong investigative series. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

LI’s 50,000 unlicensed drivers are far more likely to cause fatal crashes

The cats, who appeared 'neglected,' are being treated at an animal shelter.

'It's about providing forever homes'

The FDNY partnered with the National Institute of Standards and Technology for a three-day drone and robotics training in new technology that can be used to save lives.  

LI first responders take lessons for using robotics, drones

Suffolk officials are pushing for education and awareness to help curb the increase of infant deaths due to unsafe sleeping conditions. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports. 

Education, awareness for unsafe infant sleeping practices

NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa spends the day making dogs look and feel good with mobile pet groomer "The Ruff Life."

LI Works: The ruff life of a mobile pet groomer

The driver was charged with murder, accused of slamming his pickup into the motorcyclist off the Long Island Expressway in North Hills.

Motorcyclist killed in 'road rage' crash with pickup truck driver, police say

Newsday food writer Erica Marcus visits Gra-Bar in Copiague to learn about local versus non-local fish.

Is the fish on your restaurant dish local?

The Town of Babylon Kite Festival, held at Overlook Beach on Sunday, drew thousands and raised money for scholarships. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

Kites take flight for good cause at Babylon festival 

Alibi Lounge in Farmingdale is being transformed into a sweet destination.

Candy-themed popup opens in Farmingdale

Long Island ABATE holds event in Hauppauge to promote awareness of motorcycle safety and distracted driving.

Long Island ABATE raises money for motorcycle safety

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Nassau County's Traffic and Parking Violations Agency has stopped hearing cases for school bus camera violations, with no indication as to when they might resume. Newsday investigative reporter Payton Guion has the story.

'We don't know when these might resume'

St. Anthony's High School senior, Anthony Pagliuca, explains what it's like to return to the pitching mound, after he survived a September crash that left him hospitalized for months. 

'It means a lot' 

'This is a great collaboration' 

Some real estate experts are concerned about the potential effect of the economic outlook on the spring market. Newsday business reporter Jonathan LaMantia has the story.

'We're still seeing pretty steady growth'

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Terrance Dougherty, 36, of Oyster Bay, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to five counts of grand larceny and one count of a scheme to defraud.

LI real estate lawyer spent $1.2M of client escrow funds on luxury lifestyle, DA says

Long Island Article Bottom Module

The pause began in late January, records show. But Hempstead Town continues to issue tickets under controversial program

Nassau traffic court pauses hearings on school bus camera tickets, but town still writing tickets

The tunnel closures are set to commence on May 9. Amtrak said the project's contractor is already committed to a work schedule.

MTA calls Amtrak's East River tunnel repairs 'extremely risky' 

Three Plainview restaurants are accused of overserving alcohol to a Roslyn man before a fatal crash that killed two high school tennis standouts.

New lawsuits filed in crash that killed 2 teens

It is a major move toward a revamp of the long-struggling Sunrise Mall after a real estate group bought the property at a steep discount in 2020.

LI mall to be demolished, owner seeks subdivision approval

Protection by the state could prove critical as the Trump administration proposes new rules to weaken the federal Endangered Species Act.

Meet Long Island's newest endangered species under state protection

Doctors described Pagliuca a 17-year-old St. Anthony's High School senior as being "on the brink of death" after he was pulled from the wreckage of a car that killed two of his friends.

'Nothing shy of a miracle:' West Babylon teen who survived car crash to pitch in game dedicated to lost friends

Long Island Video Playlist

 Chairwoman of the Shinnecock Nation Council of Trustees says temporary restraining order on construction build site is is simply a bump in the road. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports. 

'Knew that we were going to be in this battle for the long run'

The Trump administration ordered an immediate cease to the wind project near the coast of Long Beach, stating the Biden administration rushed the permit process. Newsday reporter Robert Brodsky reports.

'That work has ceased immediately'

President-elect Donald Trump is looking to make major changes that could impact the U.S. economy. Newsday's business reporter James T. Madore has more. 

What Trump's economic plan could mean for LIers

The Trump administration has stated that beginning on May 5, the Education Department will begin collecting student debt. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

'There will be some adverse impact'

'We had a few good runs today'

Nassau officials on Wednesday revealed the identity of Gilgo Beach homicide victim Jane Doe No. 3 and the toddler linked to her via DNA analysis. NewsdayTV's Macy Egeland reports.

'If you knew Tanya please let us know'

Newsday investigative reporter Jim Baumbach looks at the process that school districts must undergo to discipline a teacher or administrator.

'A long process that's very costly'

Former LI congressman George Santos will be required to enter a federal prison on July 25, 2025. Newsday TV's Andrew Ehinger reports. 

'Polar opposite of what a public servant should be'

Newsday real estate reporter Jonathan LaMantia looks at Long Island home prices, which rose to a $705,000 median sales price (excluding the East End) in the first quarter of 2025. 

'They don't anticipate things changing'

The nonprofit is now suing the daughter of its founder, Christopher Arsenault, over the sanctuary's property following a fatal fire. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports. 

'Let's do what's best for the cats'

Nassau officials on Wednesday revealed the identity of Gilgo Beach homicide victim Jane Doe No. 3 and her toddler daughter. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

Las Vegas Sands has ended its $6 billion proposal to build a casino at Nassau Coliseum. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

Coliseum casino bid canceled due to 'market conditions'

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Find out what's happening with Nassau & Suffolk news, Long Island schools, plus the latest crime, courts, politics. Coverage includes Fire Island, the Hamptons & North Fork.

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