Writer Gay Talese offers tip for young journalists

A former New York Times reporter and writer for Esquire, Harpers and the New Yorker, Gay Talese had many tips to offer career-minded students during his speech at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on Wednesday.

Be well dressed

After graduating college, Talese showed up at offices of the New York Times without setting up an appointment. By the end of the day, not only had he met the editor, Turner Catledge, but he had also lined up a job possibility with the newspaper as a copy boy.

Having worn tailored suits since he was a toddler, Talese speculated it may have been his sharp look that got him in the door.

“I didn’t do well in school,” he said. “But I dressed well.”

Indulge your curiosity

Talese said his first story in the New York Times resulted from him simply wandering around New York City while on break from his copy boy duties. He saw a building owned by the Times that displayed headlines using a series of bright lights and wondered how such a feat was accomplished.

Talese wandered into the building and found the man programming the system. He also found a story — the tale of a man whose job for 25 years had been to literally make headlines.

Unplug

Talese said he does not use tape recorders for interviews and only uses the telephone to set up appointments. In fact, he said, he rarely even takes notes while working on a story.

Technology can sometimes get in the way of what you’re trying to do, he told a group of students and journalists after his speech.

“Don’t get locked into your iPods,” he said. “Get out and see the world.”

— Jake New