
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
- Car accident lawsuit filed by suspected Gilgo Beach killer dismissed, court record showsMichael O'KeeffeMarch 11, 2025 4:10 pm
- Santos' aide gets prison sentence for using fraud to solicit campaign donationsMichael O'KeeffeMarch 7, 2025 5:11 pm
- New LI federal strike force to focus on gangs, terrorism, drug trade, officials sayMichael O'KeeffeMarch 5, 2025 5:58 pm
- 13 alleged LI gang members charged with stealing cars, credit cardsMichael O'KeeffeMarch 4, 2025 5:20 pm
- Closing arguments made in case of ex-Nassau cop accused of helping mobstersMichael O'KeeffeMarch 3, 2025 6:34 pm
- Kevin Catalina shares his long journey to become Suffolk's top copMichael O'KeeffeMarch 1, 2025 5:00 am
- Lawsuit in fatal LI nail salon crash puts responsibility on liquor store ownerMichael O'KeeffeFebruary 26, 2025 4:51 pm
- Covering Long Island like no one else canJanuary 3, 2023 8:39 am
- Racial bias not a significant factor in traffic stops by Suffolk cops, report findsMichael O'KeeffeFebruary 21, 2025 5:00 am
- 2 LI defendants accused in missing girl case indicted on drug chargesMichael O'KeeffeFebruary 19, 2025 3:47 pm
- LI man charged with selling drugs that killed mother of 3-year-oldMichael O'KeeffeFebruary 11, 2025 6:02 pm
- Former Long Island man charged with first-degree murder in 21-year-old cold caseMichael O'KeeffeFebruary 7, 2025 7:14 pm
- Kevin Catalina sworn in as Suffolk County police commissionerMichael O'KeeffeFebruary 4, 2025 6:11 pm
- Farmingdale State police officer files discrimination suit against collegeMichael O'KeeffeFebruary 3, 2025 1:01 pm
- New York Blood Center cancels 17 blood drives, including 7 on LI, citing cyberattackJohn AsburyJanuary 31, 2025 2:36 pm
- Kevin Catalina nominated for Suffolk police commissionerMichael O'Keeffe and Nicole FullerJanuary 29, 2025 10:56 am
- 'Nothing short of a miracle': SCPD officer severely injured in LIE crash released from hospitalMichael O'KeeffeJanuary 27, 2025 1:54 pm
- Expanded Suffolk crime analysis center helps local police track criminals, solve casesMichael O'KeeffeJanuary 24, 2025 6:06 pm
- Criminal justice: What's in Hochul's proposed budgetMichael O'KeeffeJanuary 21, 2025 2:20 pm
- LI man charged in crash that critically injured Suffolk officer revved engine and taunted him before speeding off, officials sayMichael O'KeeffeJanuary 17, 2025 1:28 pm
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