From July-August 2020, Alec worked as an editorial intern with the Long Island Press, where he primarily carried out the responsibilities of a beat reporter in his coverage of the Nassau County Legislature and Long Island politics as a whole. Along with covering breaking news and press conferences, Alec also worked to develop sources, which led to further enterprise stories.
Some topics Alec covered during his internship included:
-A rundown of the competitive NY-2 Congressional race, featuring exclusive interviews Alec conducted with both major candidates (Jackie Gordon and Andrew Garbarino)
-The Nassau County Legislature convening a special committee to question power company officials following their response to Tropical Storm Isaias, which left hundreds of thousands of Long Islanders without power, and the eventual hearing itself
-Bills to rename county buildings after notable Black figures with a connection to NY and Long Island, including the response by community activists seeking change beyond renaming
-A pro-police rally that drew a counter-protest and the controversy leading up to that day involving the planned participation of Ted Nugent
From May - July 2020, Alec worked as a general assignment reporter for the Long Island Herald, where he covered a variety of local stories in towns across Nassau County, including Hempstead, Uniondale, Oyster Bay, Glen Cove, Sea Cliff and Glen Head. Some of the stories Alec covered included:
A committee formed between local lawmakers, police and protesters in Nassau County to address police reform
The country's first hospital recovery unit dedicated to transitioning coronavirus patients off ventilators
A rule change that would allow town residents to access a food pantry weekly rather than monthly through the remainder of 2020
Resumption of outdoor dining on Long Island
School board elections
Other topics covered include schools navigating the pandemic, local construction, donations to food banks and the virtual premiere of an anti-Semitism documentary
Previously with the Herald, Alec worked as an intern from June-August 2019. During that time, he reported multiple stories per week in his coverage of three towns on the North Shore of Long Island which included Oyster Bay, Glen Cove and Sea Cliff. Having quickly earned the trust of his editors, Alec wrote stories ranging from business profiles to new government bills and gained first-hand experience helping reporters cover school board meetings for a readership of over 200,000 people. Among Alec’s pieces for the Herald include coverage of:
Legislator Josh Lafazan’s introduction of a bill to overhaul food allergy standards in Nassau County
Legislator Josh Lafazan’s introduction of a bill to amend Nassau County’s human rights law to include hearing aids as a reasonable accommodation employers can make for the hearing impaired community
The opening of a new brewery in Bayville
Oyster Bay’s internationally recognized Oakcliff Sailing Center
Credit: Anton Media Group
Beginning in June 2019, Alec worked for Anton Media Group, which operates several local newspapers on Long Island. In his coverage for a circulation of over 75,000, Alec reported on four towns including Great Neck, Manhasset, Port Washington and Roslyn. Alec wrote about a variety of topics including local sports, events and businesses. Among Alec’s most notable pieces were:
A profile piece on two-time NBA champion and LA Laker Danny Green, who returns to Long Island each summer to run a youth basketball camp with his family. This piece, which Alec pitched, researched, conducted interviews for and wrote himself, gave him the tremendous opportunity to meet Danny and his family and write about a successful athlete who he admires greatly. The piece has since been viewed over 50,000 times via Twitter and was circulated in the Manhasset Press and Long Island Weekly
A local bookstore in Port Washington which has struggled to compete with online adversaries like Amazon
The decline of small businesses across two towns, and the efforts owners have taken to reverse that trend
Credit: The GW Hatchet
Since he arrived at GW in 2018, Alec began writing for The GW Hatchet, where he now has over 50 bylines in the areas of school academic news and sports coverage. Rising from a reporter to a staff writer to a research assistant in the last year, Alec has now taken over as the host the Hatchet’s weekly news podcast “Getting to the Bottom of It” heading into the next volume. Among Alec’s bylines for The Hatchet include stories on: