First Reporting Assignment

Momo Hu
Momo Hu
Aug 9, 2017 · 2 min read

Today I finished my first reporting assignment at the J-School! I went to my beat (Bedford-Stuyvesant) and interviewed a couple of people about their daily commute to get Man on the Street Quotes. This is my first time interviewing strangers and yesterday I was still pronouncing Bedford-Stuyvesant wrong (as stui-ves-unt)… But it turned out to be pretty smooth, besides one guy who seemed to not speak English waved me away at the C train exit. I got a 16 year old who took the train to a public charter school in South Bronx every day, a 28 year old juice store owner, two artists in their late 20s (I forgot/was too intimidated to ask their occupation but found massive info through Internet stalking), and a retired 61-year-old butcher. I’m pretty satisfied about the demographic diversity!

People always say that New Yorkers are busy and cold, but I think I’d be more intimidated to finish this assignment in my hometown Shanghai. It’s also a bustling city with traffic jams and busy crowds. I think the culture is less open and there are less opportunities and/or needs to talk to strangers. I’ve also noted that I’m more willing to stop non-Caucasians and non-Asians on the street. Maybe because I’ve worked with Hispanic and African-American teenagers before at a public high school in the Bronx, so I feel more “validated” when I talk to them. Is this my inferiority complex, that I feel less confident and more fearful of judgment to talk to people of my own race and the majority group in this country?

Anyhow I feel quite accomplished and excited. I think I’m natural at asking stranger questions, though awkward at holding small talks with acquaintances. During orientation they showed a video where an Israeli girl was too scared to go out on her first reporting task that she brought her Mom along. After hearing this anecdote my boyfriend said that he “wouldn’t mind” going with me: “You see I’m from Singapore so if I go to Brooklyn I’ll be a tourist. You can ask a tourist what they think about the transportation in New York. I’ll compare the system to that in Singapore.” I will not publicize his opinions about the comparison here in order not to offend the lovely people of New York and my fellow classmates. I declined the offer of accompaniment with a practical joke: “You know if no one talks to me I can use Tinder in my beat area and set the distance to be super close. I will know people’s name and age right away and they’ll talk about their occupation. I don’t even have to meet them and I can ask their daily commute right after matching!”

Momo Hu

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Momo Hu

Currently in New York. Business journalist. I spend too much time daydreaming and asking questions.