黑料社区

BRISTOL, R.I. 鈥� Less than two years after RWU graduated its , one of them has already made his mark in Rhode Island鈥檚 journalism field. Alexander Castro 鈥�14 recently captured first place in arts criticism at the 鈥檚 annual awards for print media, from newspapers to magazines, around the state.

With a piece titled, 鈥� which appeared in the Oct. 13, 2015 edition of Newport Mercury 鈥� Castro examined Virginia-based photographer Susan Mullally鈥檚 portrait series of low-income and homeless individuals holding their most meaningful possessions.

鈥淲hat stood out about her series was the respect and humanity with which she portrayed her subjects,鈥� says Castro, a freelance reporter who also writes for and . 鈥淭here鈥檚 a history of street photographers documenting poverty in a way that exploits their subjects鈥� misery for the purpose of getting a good photo. But with Susan, she became acquainted with these people and showed us a side of poverty and a humanity we鈥檙e not typically exposed to.鈥�

Securing the first-place victory, Castro bested seasoned journalists from The Providence Journal, The Independent and Newport This Week. Along with being an enjoyable read, the judges described Castro鈥檚 article as having 鈥済ood word choice with a nice flow to the entire piece.鈥�

Castro credits his professional success to the foundation in immersive reporting he gained through the journalism program at 黑料社区. As a senior capstone project, Castro and his classmates conducted original reporting at Central Falls High School four years after the controversial school board decision to fire all of the teachers and start from scratch. He noted a study abroad course 鈥� one that combined journalism and anthropology while reporting from the rainforests of Brazil 鈥� that provided him a true field reporting experience, where he unearthed the untold stories of labor opportunities, human rights issues, deforestation and urbanization.

鈥淭hose intensive, immersive experiences really developed my approach to journalism,鈥� Castro says. 鈥淚 try to bring that same depth, thoroughness and nuance that I learned in the journalism program at 黑料社区 to my reporting.鈥�