
Joye Brown
Associate Editorjoye.brown@newsday.comI wasn’t supposed to be a newspaper reporter. Nope. Not me. Not with my microscope, telescope, chemistry set and especially my habit of taking things apart to see how they worked, before (some of the time) putting them back together. Little did I know, those are the habits, the skills really, that make for good local reporting.
Microscope: Scour for the details, as in budgets or meeting agendas or lawsuits or trials.
I’ve found that the reporter’s most essential skill is listening to as many voices, as many viewpoints, as possible.
Telescope: Examine the wonders of the universe, as in seeing beyond the obvious, or providing needed context that connects all kinds of things to each other.
Chemistry: How does one element interact with another; as in, for example, that magical mixture of politics and policy on Long Island.
And as for deconstructing and (some of the time) reconstructing things: That translates into a curiosity of how things work, and the challenge of whether some rearrangement can make them work differently or, perhaps, even better.
Over the years, working for a radio news network and for newspapers in North Carolina and Chicago and – for almost 40 years – on Long Island, I’ve found that the reporter’s most essential skill is listening to as many voices, as many viewpoints, as possible.
Another: Honing the ability to craft reports that make any subject understandable, approachable, interesting. And sometimes even fun!
The toughest one of all: Reporting with authority, which is a fancy way of saying, work your turf, tap into its richness, its complexity, warts and all.
There was so much to learn when I got here.
I grew up in Washington, D.C., where there was no state government. No county, or town or village. D.C. didn’t elect a mayor or city council until the mid-1970s.
There still are no U.S. senators, and Washington is on its second-ever nonvoting representative in the House.
Long Islanders, by contrast, have so, so, so, so many ways to interact – chemistry, remember? – with the multiple layers of elected and nonelected entities that represent Nassau and Suffolk counties.
And when residents speak, those governments, school boards, library boards and other municipal entities tend (some of the time) to listen.
Then, there is the richness of place. Where else do volunteers bear responsibility for protecting property (fire departments) and people (ambulance squads)? Where else can beachfront be found a few miles away in almost any direction?
The region is rich in history. And richer in stories yet to be told.
Joye Brown's Work
- Joye BrownMeet Joye BrownJoye Brown articlesLI Journalism Hall of Fame
Meet Joye Brown and read her work.
- Covering Long Island like no one else canJanuary 3, 2023 8:39 am
- Judge approves new Nassau County legislative district mapJoye BrownJanuary 24, 2025 12:00 am
- Mark Toor, former Newsday editor, dies at 68John ValentiDecember 11, 2024 4:08 pm
- LI officials tout new housing options at Woodbury eventJonathan LaMantiaDecember 9, 2024 4:59 pm
- 2nd C.D. candidate Rob Lubin sits down with NewsdayTVCandice FerretteOctober 23, 2024 5:00 am
- LiPetri backs deportations in bid for 3rd District House seatCandice FerretteOctober 22, 2024 5:00 am
- Nick Lalota and John Avlon spar in congressional debateVera ChineseOctober 21, 2024 5:00 am
- 3rd Congressional District: One-on-one with GOP candidate Michael LiPetri Jr. at NewsdayTV studiosJoye BrownOctober 21, 2024 12:00 am
- One-on-one with Democratic candidate Rob Lubin at NewsdayTV studiosJoye BrownOctober 21, 2024 12:00 am
- U.S. Senate: One-on-one with GOP candidate Michael Sapraicone at NewsdayTV studiosJoye BrownOctober 21, 2024 12:00 am
- 1st Congressional District: LaLota, Avlon debate at NewsdayTV studiosJoye BrownOctober 21, 2024 12:00 am
- 'No cuts, no quips, no jokes'Joye BrownOctober 2, 2024 12:00 am
- 'Bribery, conspiracy and fraud'Joye BrownSeptember 27, 2024 12:00 am
- Takeaways from the presidential debateJoye BrownSeptember 11, 2024 1:56 am
- Poll results: Do Long Islanders think democracy is on the line?Joye BrownAugust 6, 2024 5:30 am
- Nassau Executive Bruce Blakeman gives State of the CountyJoye BrownMarch 6, 2024 9:11 pm
- Santos book author: 'It's kind of a pattern with Santos'Joye BrownDecember 19, 2023 5:00 am
- With Santos expelled, what comes next?December 1, 2023 6:55 pm
- Calone, Romaine spar over crime, affordable housing in Suffolk executive debateVera ChineseOctober 11, 2023 5:00 am
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