Browse: Home / My Life As Pam Belluck And Bill Dedman

Menu

Skip to content
Header image

Stony Brook IndependentLogo

Stony Brook University News

Menu

Skip to content
  • News
    • Health & Science
    • Sports
  • Reviews
    • Movie Review
    • Music Review
  • Blogs
  • Listicles
  • The Howler
    • WUSB In Focus
    • Indie Air
    • WUSB News-at-Noon
  • About Us
    • Staff Bios
    • Newsletter
    • Subscribe
    • Send Us A Tip
  • 9 Halloween Traditions Explained
  • 35 Things Hillary Clinton Could Have Done for 11 Hours Instead
  • SWIM Wades Into Uncharted Waters With EP
  • Demi Lovato Has A Reason To Be ‘Confident’
  • My Life As Pam Belluck And Bill Dedman
TEXT

My Life As Pam Belluck And Bill Dedman

Posted by G. Ortiz on October 21, 2015 in News | 65 Views | Leave a response

Photos by by newcanaannewsonline.com and twitter.com

By Giovanni Ortiz
Copy Editor

Married couple and Pulitzer Prize winners Pam Belluck, a health and science reporter at the New York Times, and Bill Dedman, an investigative reporter for Newsday, advised journalism students to be skeptical and ask questions on Tuesday, Oct. 20 in Frey Hall at Stony Brook University as part of the School of Journalism’s “My Life As…” event.

“Trust your instinct and argue with the copy editors,” said Belluck after telling a story about a paragraph in an article she wrote that was cut by the copy editors but favored by the readers.

The couple took turns speaking of their own experiences and differences as journalists. Belluck described herself as someone who would always work on multiple stories at once, unable to stick to one story for fear of losing interest. However, she described her husband as someone who takes his time and delves into a story.

“I’m like a polygamist- journalistically,” Belluck joked as she looked back at Dedman. “In my marriage, I’m not.”

Belluck, lighthearted and funny compared to her partner, made jokes about sex and previous stories that she worked on, which the audience laughed at a handful of times.

“You guys not interested in sex?” Jonathan Sanders, a professor in the School of Journalism, commented on the lack of laughter at her jokes from an audience full of college students. “Because I’m not sure if you’re interested.”

The crowd responded to him with laughter, with Belluck joining the them in agreement with Sanders.

Dedman, also talked about his experience as an investigative journalist, describing himself as a detailed reporter. He used anecdotes from his experiences, and talked about coming upon a mysterious story that he found while researching the most expensive home for sale in the Chicago area.

He found that the home had an owner, but that no one remembered ever seeing the owner.

“How can a home be vacant since 1951,” he questioned himself. He said that he met a guy while he was investigating. “He said, ‘Do you suppose she’s been dead all these years?”

Like his wife, Dedman had a slide show prepared that displayed the pictures that he based his book, “Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune,” on.

He said that the stories that he wished he covered were the ones that he missed because he “did not ask why.”

Instead of a staff member or a professor of the School of Journalism interviewing Dedman and Belluck, they interviewed each other. The couple asked each other tough questions, like any good pair of journalists would.

Dedman asked how Belluck could cover emotionally tough stories and maintain the respect of the people who are part of the story, while Belluck asked him why he differentiated himself as a writer and not a reporter.

They described themselves as opposites, what one person lacks journalistically, the other has and that it is not a competition.

“If it’s one thing I admire, it’s his confidence,” Belluck said. “He is always sure his story is going to be good no matter what.”

Despite the couple getting a booming applause from the audience, there are students who did not like this “My Life As…” event.

“I like what they did, the two reporters,” Christopher Cameron, a sophomore journalism major said. “I did not like how they presented. It was sort of dull.”

While the event is a lecture, it is more of a speech from experienced journalists to give journalism students advice and guidance.

Dedman said that young journalists should try different aspects of journalism, mentioning that some journalists try reporting and find they would rather be editors, and that the reverse was true as well.

Posted in News | Tagged bill dedman, events, frey hall, journalism, My Life As, pam belluck, SBU, school of journalism. Howard Schneider, SOJ, Stony Brook University

About the Author

G. Ortiz

Related Posts

SWIMSWIM Wades Into Uncharted Waters With EP→

HomecomingFlagHomecoming 2015→

janet-jackson-unbreakable-2015-billboard-650Janet Jackson Proves She Is Unbreakable With New Album→

seawolvesWolfstock 2015: Seawolves Showcase→

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Advertisement

WUSB News-at-Noon

Featured Video

  • Latest
  • Top Rated
  • Trending
  • Featured image

    9 Halloween Traditions Explained

    October 23, 2015 / Kevin Matyi
  • Hillary Clinton at the latest Benghazi committee hearing. Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

    35 Things Hillary Clinton Could Have Done for 11 Hours Instead

    October 23, 2015 / Janelle Clausen
  • SWIM

    SWIM Wades Into Uncharted Waters With EP

    October 23, 2015 / Maddy Marcus
  • Demi Lovato

    Demi Lovato Has A Reason To Be ‘Confident’

  • TEXT

    My Life As Pam Belluck And Bill Dedman

    October 21, 2015 / G. Ortiz
  • admin-ajax.php-2

    On Kylie Minogue’s New Album, “Kiss Me Once” Was All She Said

  • Divergent-Movie-640x360

    ‘Divergent’ Hits its Mark

  • Captain-America-The-Winter-Soldier1

    7 Reasons To Watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier

  • bbc

    Bombay Bicycle Club Is Back With A Bang

  • Need for Speed Poster

    ‘Need for Speed’ Tries Hard, Misses Finish Line

Advertisement

Subscribe

Want everything to just be sent right to you? Sign up for our newsletter. Don't forget to check your spam. Thanks!

Contact Us!

Like what you see? Or don't? Either way, let us know during our weekly general meetings on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. Or drop by during our weekly workshops Thursday nights at 7 p.m.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
 

Where we meet

We're located in room 072 in the Student Union Building on Stony Brook University.

 

Send us a message

For more info, email [email protected] with questions, concerns or qualms.

 
 

©2015 Stony Brook Independent

Menu

  • Send Us A Tip