Sal DiMaggio's Journey From The Montclarion to NJ.com

Sal DiMaggio's love for storytelling started in his childhood, when he enjoyed creating worlds and characters, and as he got older, he became interested in media production and current events. That passion ultimately led him to pursue journalism. At the College of Communication and Media (CCOM), he took advantage of every opportunity to shape his career, from working at The Montclarion and WMSC to building connections with working journalists. 

Sal joined The Montclarion his freshman year, where he learned the fundamentals of journalism, including news writing, interviewing, fact-checking, and working with editors. As a sophomore, he became feature editor and led a small team of writers covering campus life. By his senior year, he had become editor in chief, a role that let him shape the paper’s coverage and build a plan.

Through his extracurricular activities and what he learned in CCOM classrooms, DiMaggio landed an internship with the USA Today Network, where he covered stories from local fires to Donald Trump’s indictment. This internship experience helped him sharpen his writing, photography, and social media production skills.

After graduation, DiMaggio spent a year as a hyperlocal news reporter and editor at the New Jersey Hills Media Group. He relied on the same skills he learned at The Montclarion, including meeting and event coverage, and building connections with people in the community. 

Now, DiMaggio is working as a Breaking News and Trending News Reporter at NJ.com. His job is to stay on top of stories, publish stories quickly and accurately while finding creative and innovative ways to tell them.  

“I’m always looking for angles on topics that haven’t been explored and ways to engage our audiences in a story,” DiMaggio said. 

He sees artificial intelligence as one of the biggest challenges facing the field. He believes AI will heavily shape the future of journalism, but that humanity is the part that makes good journalism. 

DiMaggio’s advice to students interested in journalism is to get involved, stay curious, and march to the beat of your own drum. He strongly encourages joining CCOM clubs and organizations like The Montclarion, WMSC 90.3 FM, Red Hawk Sports Network, and Montclair NewsLab, which he said allow students to create content, better their skills, and trust their gut.

“Being involved at CCOM got me to where I am today, and I am so lucky to be doing a job that I am passionate about and excited about every day.”