Bloomberg Fellows discuss media and politics with New York’s industry leaders

The media’s influence on public discourse—a pressing topic of our time—was the focus of a special conversation amongst industry leaders and NYU Wagner’s Georgina and Charlotte Bloomberg Public Service Fellows last week. The panel, How the Media Shapes Local Politics and Public Policy, was moderated by Mitchell Moss who serves as NYU Wagner’s Henry Hart Rice Professor of Urban Policy and Planning and is the former director of the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation.

Guest speakers hailed from the heart of New York City’s bustling news cycle and political scene with panelists including Jeff Mays, Metro desk reporter for The New York Times, Sally Goldenberg, City Hall Bureau Chief for POLITICO New York, and Chris Coffey, CEO of Tusk Strategies.

As a reporter for the Metro desk, Jeff Mays covers politics with a focus on New York City Hall, an opportunity that follows his time reporting on Newark City Hall and former mayor Cory Booker. Sally Goldenberg joined POLITICO New York in 2013 to report on then-mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration with a focus on budget and labor practices. Chris Coffey’s current position as CEO of Tusk Strategies follows 12 years of service in city government including his work at City Hall under former mayor Mike Bloomberg, roles in three Bloomberg mayoral campaigns, and Bloomberg L.P.

Key to the event was the opportunity for Bloomberg Public Service Fellows, a select group of students enrolled in NYU Wagner’s Master of Public Administration and Master of Urban Planning programs, to engage with field experts. The Fellowship launched last year in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies to ensure that dedicated and innovative young leaders have access to, and robust training for, careers in public service.