Spectrum reunion draws famous guests, triggers 'unpublished' stories

Ah, journalism.

Ah, UB Spectrum student journalism.

Last night’s reunion for Spectrum alumni in the Student Union celebrated that baffling and inescapable appeal of working as a journalist — as a student and beyond. On stage were two of The Spectrum’s most accomplished professionals — Pulitzer Prize-wining photojournalist Marcus Yam, class of 2006, and Eric Cortellessa, class of 2014, senior political correspondent at Time magazine — carrying on a conversation as if they were guests in your living room.

Moderator Barbara Bono, a UB English professor for 45 years, provided a deft and personal touch, drawing out Yam’s and Cortellessa’s jaw-dropping international and national experiences. It felt as if everyone in the theater were old friends.

Sponsored by the Office of Alumni Engagement and Office of Student Engagement, the informal program was an hour of personal anecdotes, professional advice and Cortellessa’s not-too-bad impression of President Trump prompted from a one-on-one phone call. 

On display was the tradition of professional journalists advising Spectrum student journalists, often with collaboration from the Department of English. Now an independent student newspaper, The Spectrum has been a launching pad for stunning success — the latest: Sara DiNatale, a Lancaster native, 2015 UB graduate and former Spectrum editor-in-chief who shared the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. At the same time, the close proximity and exhausting schedules invoked vivid memories for staffers, past and present.

“I want the dirt, guys,” Bono said after praising the distinguished graduates on stage and in the audience.

“What first drew you to The Spectrum as a student?” Bono asked Yam and Cortellessa. “What role did it play in shaping your UB experience?”

“I was the prototype of this English major sitting on a hill waiting for divine inspiration so I could write the next Anna Karenina,” said Cortellessa. “That was never going to happen, so the only way I could make that transition from thinking of myself as a writer and actually doing it was to write for The Spectrum.

“I found it was a lot of fun. It activated my adventurous spirit, to go out and interview people and ask questions. It was really important to be a part of a community of like-minded students who valued the written word.”

 Yam came to UB as an engineering student. “What happened?” Bono asked.

“I wanted to get out of taking certain academic courses,” Yam said to light laughter. “The Spectrum provided me academic credits, mainly English courses. Long story short: They asked me, ‘Do you want to write or do you just want to take pictures?’ So I thought, ‘What is the easiest way out of this?’”

Yam’s answer may have been disarming. But both guests stressed the ardent determination needed to survive the “hallowed out” world of present-day journalism.

“For anyone looking for a career in journalism, especially in photojournalism, for every 100 reporting jobs there is one visual job,” said Yam. “It’s slim pickings. And now with local American media getting hallowed out … visual jobs are not popping up. And when they do, they are not rethinking the culture of what visual journalists can bring to the table.

“We live in a visual world today. A lot of our news comes from our little devices. Yes, people will read text if it’s captivating, but also we need to find a way to marry the visual side, data side, graphics, everything together,” he said.

“The only way to do this is to empower photojournalists and put them in a writer’s job.”

Cortellessa remembers hearing a podcast during which Elon Musk was asked if he could offer words of encouragement for budding entrepreneurs.

His answer was no. If they needed encouragement, they shouldn’t be in their position in the first place.

“That’s one element with journalism that is really true,” said Cortellessa. “Because the market is so contracted, competitive, because the economic forces just do not regard this line of business, you have to really want it. You have to feel like there is nothing else you can do. That’s what has gotten me though the hardest times.”

And the lessons they learned at UB passed the test of time.

“I basically think the main principles of narrative storytelling remain,” said Cortellessa. “A main principle we spoke about in The Spectrum I still think about is it’s better to show than tell. I always try to be spare in my storytelling. And craft an arc and narrative trajectory that speaks louder than any kind of exposition I could provide.”

Audience members had their own stories of unforgettable Spectrum escapades, as if they happened this semester.

“Spectrum was amazing,” said Tracey Drury, senior reporter for Buffalo Business First. “I spent most of my time at The Spectrum.”

Drury was editor-in-chief her senior year 1992. Her good friend, Tara Ellis, now CEO of Feedmore WNY, was managing editor. Drury had been dating another student who used to hang out in The Spectrum offices in the Baldy Hall basement.

“I came in one day when the two of them came walking out from the dark room together,” Drury said. “I was like, ‘What is going on?’ And I didn’t find out until a few days later when my now-husband proposed to me. He had been showing her my engagement ring in the darkroom before I got it. I had no idea what they were doing in the darkroom. Obviously, nothing.”

Stephen T. Watson, a reporter for The Buffalo News, was editor-in-chief in spring 1997. He was trying to catch up one afternoon and stuffed his papers and notes in a bag to take home.    

“I take it out of the office and put it on top of my car,’” Watson said. “I get into the car. I drive off. I’m building up speed getting on the 290, and I don’t realize until I get home I never put the bag in the car. It’s gone. I think all those potential stories have blown into the wind. I’m frantic.

“Days later, I get a call in the office from a woman who worked as a cleaner on campus, who had seen all this paperwork blowing off a car she was driving behind. She stopped and gathered as much of the papers as she could, found a name on it, realized it was for The Spectrum and tracked me down to tell me she was going to deliver whatever she found to the office.”

“It just warmed my heart,” Watson said. “I hugged her. She wouldn’t take a reward. I wrote about her in my column, saying, ‘There are good people in the world. Thank you for finding that.’”