Joyce Kamdem
Journalism educators across the country are equipping students with strategies to combat the decline of local news in local communities. At CCNY, the Harlem View initiative brings this mission to life by pairing classroom learning with a commitment to serving New York City communities through local reporting.
Harlem View is an independent publication project in the journalism department at CCNY, funded through the Campus Engagement Network (CEN). It exists as a teaching tool and a community platform by publishing student work that covers important issues on campus and across New York City neighborhoods. Through the University of Vermont’s Center for Community News, Harlem View is a part of a national effort to fight “news deserts”—neighborhoods with little or no local coverage. While most of Harlem View’s content is produced by undergraduate students taking journalism courses, it is open to contributions from all students at CCNY, regardless of major.
Professor Barbara Nevins Taylor is a distinguished lecturer and the journalism program director at CCNY, who holds the title of Center for Community Champion—a nationally recognized honor for faculty who expand community news through student media. She takes this title to heart, building Harlem View around the core belief that students should be telling stories that matter not only within the walls of their college but also through the neighborhoods where they live. She explains, “The opportunity to report for Harlem View gives students the chance to explore their communities and report stories that matter to local people, and to the students, and to put those stories in front of a larger audience.”
Harlem View encourages students to go beyond the classroom, engaging in what she calls “enterprise journalism”—independently pitched and reported stories that expand the scope and depth of coverage. While classroom work remains the foundation of the Journalism Program, Harlem View also teaches students how to assess a story, determine its core, and tell it effectively. “They also hone writing skills, reporting skills, their ability to interview people, and engage with community members,” Professor Barbara Nevins Taylor adds.
The publication is intentionally different from club-based outlets on campus. Harlem View is not in competition with student media groups like THE CAMPUS, THE PAPER, WCCR, or WHCR-FM radio, but rather supplements them by offering a broader reporting focus. “We’re not competing with the clubs—we’re augmenting them,” Professor Barbara Nevins Taylor says. The stories published in Harlem View are often more deeply rooted in community issues, with student journalists branching out across the tri-state area to report stories about housing, immigration, labor, and more. “Our students are also reporting about gaming, sports, the college team—which have been lightly covered by campus media,” she notes, underscoring the range of topics Harlem View embraces.
These skills and values are embodied by former students like Astra Rincón Montañez, a multimedia journalist and Harlem View alumna who earned her degree in jazz instrumental performance and international studies from CCNY before pivoting toward journalism: “When I joined the journalism program as a minor (since there was no major at the time), I didn’t think I was capable of having my stories published in Harlem View within the first few months.” Harlem View gave Astra the opportunity to publish new narratives on Venezuelan asylum seekers during the 2022 migration wave in New York City which ultimately changed the course of her education and career, “[Harlem View] made a huge contribution toward my decision to major in journalism…it motivated me to continue telling impactful stories.” As the daughter of Venezuelan immigrants, Astra is committed to telling underreported stories, especially those highlighting the lives of asylum seekers and marginalized communities.
Harlem View is a collaborative effort, with leadership shared among student editors. This academic year, 2024–2025, the editorial team includes Natalie Moreno, Susannah Pitman, and Katelyn Polanco. These students oversee submissions, help shape final edits, and support contributors throughout the publishing process. Under their leadership, Harlem View maintains high standards, prioritizing strong, compelling stories across text, video, audio, and photo formats. “We publish student work—the strongest student work,” Professor Taylor affirms.
Katelyn Polanco—the current Managing Editor for Harlem View—took on the role after publishing a story titled City College Students Rally in Support of Palestinians, with the guidance and mentorship of Professor Taylor. Katelyn reflects fondly about the initial fear of interviewing both sides of the protest, “Professor Taylor stayed alongside me during the protest and helped me gain the confidence to interview people. From that moment on, I saw potential in myself.”. She states with gratitude, “The beauty of our publication is the fact that we are student-led.” Katelyn says the reading, writing, and critical thinking skills she gained at Harlem View helped open key doors: a fellowship with Dow Jones, a fellowship with NBCU Academy, and the opportunity to attend journalism conferences where she met top journalists like CCNY alumno Jane Tillman Irving. She also earned a spot in L’Oréal’s Marketing Management Trainee program after graduation.
Looking to the future of Harlem View, Professor Barbara Nevins Taylor seeks to partner and expand collaboration with local news stations to publish student work. “Recently, student stories about Brooklyn were published in the print edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle,” she explains. “One story was about a new wave of Ukrainian immigrants shunning Brighton Beach, another was about residents in Bensonhurst fighting a homeless shelter and a third was about a group in DUMBO that supports gaming innovators.” The Amsterdam News is considering publishing Harlem View student stories, and Professor Nevins Taylor hopes to work with publications in Queens and the Bronx.
These efforts coincide with a growing number of student success stories that reflect Harlem View’s impact. Most recently, Harlem View was named a finalist in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Awards. The publication’s three managing editors will be acknowledged, and two students are individual finalists: Lizbeth Fuentes in News Videography for “Food Vendors Compete with Restaurants in Jackson Heights” and Adeshewa Coker in Food Writing for “Jollof Wars at First Love NY Church.”
Professor Barbara Nevins Taylor is hopeful that Harlem View will continue to create more opportunities for student work to reach wider audiences and that these diverse stories get the attention they deserve. Harlem View remains an independent, student-centered space that uplifts local issues and offers students a meaningful way to participate in civic life through journalism. To learn more, visit their website at https://harlemview.com/.
[Headshots left to right: Natalie Moreno, Katelyn Polanco, Susannah Pittman]
Students interested in submitting to Harlem View should be aware of the following submission guidelines:
- Posts must be relevant and useful to Harlem View’s audience, ideally spotlighting under-reported stories about our communities, including sports and culture.
- All stories must be grammatically correct, free of spelling errors, and factually accurate.
- Posts should be 350 to 700 words and must be original to the author.
- Sources must be cited, and quotes attributed.
- Each submission should include a high-resolution image (2000x1200 px preferred) with permission for use, and ideally a second image (400x500 px).
- Include an author photo.
- No marketing links; however, links to relevant books are acceptable.
- Harlem View reserves the right to reject submissions that do not meet editorial standards.