By Chelsea Tirrell, Staff Writer
David Reich-Hale spoke to a select few journalism students at Hofstra University about his goal to change Long Island media on Nov 1. As an adjunct professor at Hofstra and the Senior Regional Editor of Long Island Patch.com, Reich-Hale hoped to educate students about the ever-changing industry.
Reich-Hale was offered the editor position for Patch while holding a job as a finance reporter and editor for Long Island Business News. Despite being comfortable with his position and ability to support his wife and two kids, he accepted his current position in March.
"You don't get many chances in life to not only build something, but change something," Reich-Hale said. "I thought I'd be a part of a change of face for Long Island and I didn't want to pass on that."
The fact that Patch, a website dedicated to providing information to local towns and communities, was a part of AOL pushed Reich-Hale toward his decision.
"I felt more secure that there'd be support behind [the launch] and because it was AOL that would be expanding it," he said.
Patch was launched in early 2009 with websites in New Jersey. The site wasn't established on Long Island until later that year. There are now 300 sites nationwide, and the company is hoping to establish close to 500 nationwide by the end of this year.Reich-Hale spends his days editing and managing. Because of this, he isn't able to cover as many events as he did previously.
"It's one thing I really do miss," he said. "I love my job but I love to write and report and now, in my role, I'm sending people out to do it. That takes some getting used to."
Born and raised in Trumbull, Conn., home of the 1989 Little League champions, David Reich-Hale knew he wanted to be a journalist at a very young age. Doing everything he could to get the experience he needed, Reich-Hale has built himself a résumé that justifies his knack for journalism.
Reich-Hale attended Southern Connecticut State University. He wrote for the school's newspaper and interned for radio station KC101 and the Connecticut Post. After graduating with a degree in journalism, he took his first job as a sports reporter for the New Haven Register. He covered Little League and NHL games for the Hartford Whalers when the full-time reporter wasn't available.
Two years later, Reich-Hale became a press fellow for Sen. Joseph Lieberman. He then became a reporter for American Banker and worked on Wall Street at Thomson Financial. He was able to interview CEO's from all around the country-one of his favorite interviews was with the CEO of New York Life.
Throughout his career, Reich-Hale was awarded several honors including a Society of Professional Journalists award, Connecticut graduate of the year and the Press Club of Long Island award for top editorial in 2008.
Reich-Hale's position at Patch is his first job that hasn't been at a newspaper. Although that is where his roots lie, he is not surprised by how far journalism has come.
"The difference between now and 10 years ago is that there are so many different ways to get news," he said. "What does surprise me is that there's a sort of bias from people who get their news online that think newspapers are dead."
Reich-Hale explained that many people still get their news from newspapers. In fact, newspapers are getting more credibility based on the Patch.com site.
Reich-Hale credits experience for his growth in the industry because he had a journalism professor who used to make him and his classmates conduct interviews in front of the class and purposely give them a hard time. He was sure he'd be prepared for the field. But when this happened for the first time on an actual interview, Reich-Hale said all of that information disappeared. His interview style of always making his subjects feel comfortable has come from this experience and more.
"You go through the experience and each experience is unique," he said. "The more you go through them, the more you grow."
Reich-Hale also believes internships that give students hands-on experience will benefit them in the future.
"If you get an internship that's not going to give you the experience you need, you're not going to fool anyone," he said. "You're going to show up on the first day not knowing what you're doing."
The 1988 debate had Reich-Hale hooked. After seeing the infamous Michael Dukakis ad, he realized that people were utilizing ads to pick the president. Commercialism was taking over the debate.
"From that day," he said, "I knew I wanted to be a part of it."
A devoted Eagles fan, family man, and media enthusiast, Reich-Hale is a powerhouse. His blog is available for viewing and can be found at www.drhthefirst.wordpress.com.