Who we are
The Syracuse Press Club was founded in 1951. Its members are journalists, educators, students and communications professionals working in local Central New York print, radio, television and digital media.
2019-2020 Award Recipients
The Syracuse Press Club congratulates all of our winners of the annual journalism awards contest. See the full list of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place award recipients for 2019-2020. Thank you for entering and cheers to another great year of journalism in Central New York.
Latest News
Blog Posts
The Syracuse Press Club extends its support to working journalists who were potentially exposed to the coronavirus during a press conference this week, and who have daily put their health …
The unprovoked attack by a uniformed police officer on a local news photographer is a shameful moment in the history of the City of Syracuse. We, the Syracuse Press Club, …
Happy Member Monday, everyone! Today, we feature a veteran magazine editor and writer in Syracuse.
Meet Janis Barth!
Job title: Owner and editor
Where you work: New York Horse Magazine
Past journalism jobs: Managing editor, The Post-Standard. Other assorted stops along the way, including a bittersweet turn as the last city editor of the Herald-Journal.
Have you had any jobs outside journalism? I was the mother’s helper for a few summers for Rhoda and Dan Wolf. He was a founding editor of The Village Voice and I learned that I did not want to spend my life in childcare, but journalism – yes, please.
A project you’re proud of, from the past year:
New York Horse was honored this year by American Horse Publications as the nation’s best equestrian magazine in our circulation category. (Here’s a link to our current issue: issuu.com/newyorkhorse/docs/new_york_horse_rideoutside_2020) Nothing else comes close to my pride in taking their award for general excellence.
Education: St. Lawrence University
Role models: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, although I am still trying to perfect the art of being “a little deaf.” QE2 and, for the record, I also plan to be riding horses every day when I am 94.
Fun fact about you: I started in (very) small market AM radio as the host of a call-in talk show. If the phones didn’t ring, it was a 30-minute monologue. Which explains my ability – still, to this day – to ramble at length on any topic.
Advice to other local journalists: There is no finer advice about writing and reporting, in my opinion, than these three sentences from the late Pete Hamill … “Concrete nouns, active verbs and details. That’s all you need. Starting with the goddamned details.”
Want to be featured for Member Mondays? You must be an active SPC member and you can join anytime: syracusepressclub.org/become-a-member/
SPC extends support to journalists potentially exposed to coronavirusThe Syracuse Press Club extends its support to working journalists who were potentially exposed to the coronavirus during a press conference this week, and who have daily put their health and safety at risk to perform essential jobs during this pandemic.
Binghamton Mayor Richard David disclosed Thursday that he had tested positive for Covid-19. Several reporters were in attendance at a press conference with David on Wednesday. Local newsrooms have quarantined reporters as a precaution since.
At the Syracuse Press Club, we know that this is just one of many potentially risky situations that Central New York journalists have encountered on the job since March. Apart from the coronavirus pandemic, journalists often put their health and safety on the line in order to report the news. Any time journalists are endangered while at work, that is a threat to the public’s ability to know what is going on in their community.
We are here to support our colleagues during this challenging time. We hope the quarantines remain a precautionary measure, and we are thankful that attendees and participants of the press conference took proper steps, including wearing face masks and social distancing, to lower the risk to everyone who was there. We commend the reporters and newsroom leaders who have made the responsible choice to quarantine anyone potentially exposed at this time.
Finally, we encourage all newsmakers and journalists to practice these needed precautions. The public’s right to know is at stake.
syracusepressclub.org/news/spc-extends-support-to-journalists-potentially-exposed-to-coronavirus/
JOB CHANGE: NewsChannel 9‘s Darius Joshua has announced he will leave Syracuse after two years working as a sports anchor/reporter at WSYR (ABC).
Darius will join the CBS 58 sports team in Milwaukee, WI this winter. On Twitter, he wrote:
"It is with bittersweet excitement that I have some news to share. Your boy is on the move! This winter, will be heading to Milwaukee! I will have much more to say at a later date, but I have to thank God, my family, friends, coworkers & mentors who have helped me get to this far"
We wish you all the best in Milwaukee, Darius! Thank you for serving the Central New York community.
Happy Member Monday, everyone! Today, we feature an award-winning magazine editor and writer in Syracuse.
Meet Amy Bleier Long!
Where you work: Advance Media New York. I am the content editor of Central New York Magazine: The Good Life. I’m also an editor of custom publications for clients within the niche publications service of AMNY’s marketing department. I’ve been in this role since January 2018.
(Here’s The Good Life CNY’s website: www.goodlifecny.com/cny-magazine/)
Past journalism jobs: I began my career in New York at O, The Oprah Magazine and O at Home where I worked in the style departments. I spent two and a half years in the style and markets department at Traditional Home and one year in the home department at Real Simple before I moved back to Syracuse. After I moved back, I freelanced for Redbook and Central New York Magazine.
Have you had any jobs outside journalism? I had a very brief stint in PR. I quickly realized it wasn’t for me, but I’m grateful for the job because it gave me a lot of perspective on public relations, which is very valuable in magazine work. I’ve worked in retail: I trained at the first H&M store in the country on 5th Avenue and helped open the Herald Square store while I was in college. I also worked at Blockbuster for two years, while I interned at Bridal Guide magazine and took some editing courses at NYU. From 2014 until I started at AMNY full time, I managed the social media and marketing at SKY Armory.
Three stories or projects you’re proud of, from the past year: I’m very proud that Central New York Magazine: The Good Life was named Best Magazine by both the Syracuse Press Club (for the second year in a row) and the New York Press Association this past year. I am committed to showing Central New Yorkers all the products and services they can find without having to shop online or look outside the area, so I’m proud of stories covering custom furniture and locally produced podcasts, to name two. Producing a market story (product pages) in each issue makes me happy because I really love working with the local boutique owners. It’s light and fun, but also supports our community by encouraging readers to shop local.
Award-winning issues: issuu.com/cnymagazine
And here: issuu.com/cnymagazine/docs/goodlifecentralny_20180706_sweettre
Education: B.A. in women’s studies and media studies, Fordham University.
Role models: Eva Chen, Jessica Pels and Elaine Welteroth
Fun fact about you: I’m obsessed with s’mores: the classic, s’mores skillets, s’mores pizza, milkshakes, sundaes, etc. In place of traditional Hershey’s, though, I use half of a Lindt sea salt milk chocolate truffle when I make my own.
Advice to other local journalists: As a magazine editor, I benefit from a much longer lead time than other journalists, but I always recommend taking a few minutes to read your copy out loud to yourself. It’s a good way to catch typos and easy-to-fix grammatical mistakes (left over from moving text around and tightening up sentences) and to hear how your sentences flow.
Photo by Anatoli Photograffi.
The Syracuse Press Club shares its condolences with the family and loved ones of Lorraine Marie Smorol, who passed away a few weeks ago. She was 88.
Lorraine worked as a reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard and as an associate editor for the Syracuse New Times. She wrote articles and reviews on music, art, architecture, food, fashion and real estate.
She was also a successful wedding and social event planner. She designed and oversaw the launch of the yearly Dickens Christmas in Skaneateles which still operates today. She was a 1954 graduate of Syracuse University’s School of Music, and directed a series of musical performances in Hanover Square for several summers.
Read more about Lorraine’s life in her obituary: obits.syracuse.com/obituaries/syracuse/obituary.aspx?n=lorraine-smorol&pid=196735645&fhid=10943
Lorraine Smorol (1932 – 2020) – Obituary
obits.syracuse.com
View Lorraine Smorol’s obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.Join Us
The Syracuse Press Club invites all working and inactive journalists to become members of the club. Your membership fee supports our annual banquet, journalism scholarship and events throughout the year. Click below for more information and to join today!
Wall of Distinction
The Wall of Distinction is where outstanding journalists in Central New York are permanently enshrined. Located in the theater lobby of the John H. Mulroy Civic Center in downtown Syracuse, the first group of inductees was first installed to the Wall on Dec. 4, 2000. This was also the date the Syracuse Press Club’s 50th anniversary was observed.
