(School of Global Journalism and Communication) Rick Reese is an adjunct professor at Bowie State University. On Friday, March 26,he was a guest speaker on J-Chat. He worked for ABC News as a producer and editor. In the virtual meeting, he talked about news and his professional experiences being a journalist.
Reeseshared a brief history about himself. He was born in Washington, D.C. in D.C. General Hospital in the mid-1950s. At age 11, his family moved to Prince George’s County, Maryland, where they had nice amenities such as bowling, tennis and even a swimming pool in his front yard. Growing up, he dreamed of attending all-white universities and was accepted to University of Maryland and Harvard University. He lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and briefly in Florida.
https://www.bet.com/style/2017/07/07/4-reasons-prince-george-s-county-is-under-review.html
While attending the University of Maryland, he majored in Zoology with hopes of becoming a marine biologist. One semester, he decided to take a Survey Film Course, which afforded him the opportunity to work for Channel 4 (WRC-TV). The experience changed his life. Reese wanted to be in broadcasting. He changed his major to television, radio and film.
Reese talked about the days when he became a news director doing radio news. He chose to report the news because he felt being a DJ would limit him from moving into other radio opportunities.
Reesetalked about his travels around the world. He has been on every continent accept Antarctica. His most interesting places traveled and reported on are Beirut, Kosovo, Nicaragua and El Salvador. He said that the most memorable moment he experienced while reporting was during the 1983 truck bombing in Beirut, he noticed that the civilians carried on their everyday life like nothing was happening. He admired how resilient they were.
https://www.britannica.com/event/1983-Beirut-barracks-bombings
Reese seems to have been on a never-ending Journalistic Journey. His experiences he shared was a wonderful way to see the field of Journalism through an editor’s eyes.