Email: stephen.bronner@patch.com
Phone: 516-754-9411 Hometown: I grew up in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, before moving to Woodmere in 1997. Birthday: Nov. 20, 1984 Bio: I've always thought of myself as a quiet person, which makes my passion for journalism all the more unusual. Since taking my first journalism class in Queens College some years ago, I knew what I wanted to do for a living. There's nothing like punching out copy on deadline. I'm glad to be working back in the Five Towns community, after my short stint at the Nassau Herald from May to November 2009. After that, I worked as an editor of amNewYork, where I was responsible for their national and international news coverage. I've also interned for the Queens Courier and Daily News. I received a master's degree in journalism in 2008 from CUNY's Graduate School of Journalism. Outside of journalism, I enjoy reading about technology and science, playing guitar and bass and video games. Your Beliefs At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know. Politics How would you describe your political beliefs? I tend to fall in the middle of the spectrum. Neither party is ever 100 percent right on an issue, and until both sides learn to come together and compromise, things can never get done smoothly. Are you registered with a certain party? I am a registered Democrat. Religion How religious would you consider yourself? I'm not a religious person, but I love the traditions of Judaism and celebrate all the holidays. Local Hot-Button Issues What do you think are the most important issues facing the community? Many in the Five Towns community are passionate about their children's education. Of course, like all Long Island residents, taxes and public safety are top concerns. Where do you stand on each of these issues? People have a right to choose where their dollars should go. But there's always a good middle ground to every issue.