{"id":45,"date":"2024-04-18T17:38:13","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T17:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/?page_id=45"},"modified":"2024-04-25T18:09:35","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T18:09:35","slug":"case-study-barbara-selvin","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/case-study-barbara-selvin\/","title":{"rendered":"Case Study: Barbara Selvin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Barbara Selvin poses for a portrait in between sessions at the Journalism and Women Symposium Conference and Mentoring Program on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023 in Chicago, Ill. Selvin worked for Newsday in the late 1980s and early 1990s while raising her three kids, eventually leaving when she was no longer eligible for a part-time work schedule. \/ Photo by Madeline Papcun, UConn Journalism<\/p>\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/files\/2024\/04\/IMG_1169-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"http:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/files\/2024\/04\/IMG_1169-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Barbara Selvin\" class=\"wp-image-46\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/files\/2024\/04\/IMG_1169-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/files\/2024\/04\/IMG_1169-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/files\/2024\/04\/IMG_1169-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/files\/2024\/04\/IMG_1169-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/files\/2024\/04\/IMG_1169-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/files\/2024\/04\/IMG_1169-1080x720.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">
Bar\u00adbara Selvin pos\u00ades for a por\u00adtrait between ses\u00adsions at the Octo\u00adber 2023 Jour\u00adnal\u00adism and Women Sym\u00adpo\u00adsium in Chica\u00adgo. Selvin worked for News\u00adday in the late 1980s and ear\u00adly 90s while rais\u00ading her three kids, even\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly leav\u00ading the news\u00adroom when she was no longer eli\u00adgi\u00adble for a part-time work sched\u00adule. Pho\u00adto by Made\u00adline Pap\u00adcun<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Made\u00adline Pap\u00adcun<\/a> | UConn Jour\u00adnal\u00adism
April 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the late 1980s, Bar\u00adbara Selvin was work\u00ading as a reporter at New York News\u00adday on the busi\u00adness desk when she became preg\u00adnant with her first child. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selvin said she knew at the time that she did not want to con\u00adtin\u00adue work\u00ading full time while tak\u00ading care of a new\u00adborn baby, so she began look\u00ading into her options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNews\u00adday did not have any arrange\u00adments for part-time work, although they did have gen\u00ader\u00adous mater\u00adni\u00adty ben\u00ade\u00adfits,\u201d she said. \u201cSo between your mater\u00adni\u00adty leave and dis\u00adabil\u00adi\u00adty [ben\u00ade\u00adfits], you could be out for about five months, but then you were expect\u00aded to come back to work full time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was not her ide\u00adal sce\u00adnario. Selvin decid\u00aded to put her inves\u00adtiga\u00adtive skills to good use, begin\u00adning a new report\u00ading project on her own time. She talked to oth\u00ader reporters, man\u00adagers and human resources depart\u00adments at the 20 largest news\u00adpa\u00adpers in the Unit\u00aded States to learn about their fam\u00adi\u00adly work poli\u00adcies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explain\u00ading this to me while sit\u00adting at a high-top table by the ele\u00adva\u00adtors in one of Colum\u00adbia College\u2019s build\u00adings in Chica\u00adgo, she laughed. \u201cThis was 1987, so news\u00adpa\u00adpers were a big thing. News\u00adpa\u00adpers were still fat and hap\u00adpy in 1987.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selvin pre\u00adsent\u00aded her find\u00adings to News\u00adday, point\u00ading out that they were \u201cnot com\u00adpet\u00adi\u00adtive\u201d in terms of what they offered, and propos\u00ading the com\u00adpa\u00adny offer a job share. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat seemed to me the eas\u00adi\u00adest to imple\u00adment because you would have two peo\u00adple doing one job,\u201d Selvin said. \u201cYou would have one bud\u00adget line.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

News\u00adday agreed to try it out, though Selvin not\u00aded their plan was \u201cnot a true job share\u201d in that her \u201cpart\u00adner\u201d was not anoth\u00ader reporter on the New York News\u00adday busi\u00adness desk as she was, but an edi\u00adtor at a dif\u00adfer\u00adent News\u00adday news\u00adpa\u00adper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addi\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adly, their \u201cshared bud\u00adget line\u201d only came with one set of health ben\u00ade\u00adfits \u2014 so Selvin had to rely on her husband\u2019s ben\u00ade\u00adfits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe both lost vaca\u00adtion pay, sick pay, per\u00adson\u00adal time, dis\u00adabil\u00adi\u00adty insur\u00adance, long term insur\u00adance; there were like six or sev\u00aden or eight ben\u00ade\u00adfits that we lost, so essen\u00adtial\u00adly we both took pay cuts to do this,\u201d Selvin said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

News\u00adday also lim\u00adit\u00aded the job share agree\u00adment to 18 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut still we were able to con\u00adtin\u00adue being in the news\u00adroom, which was what we both want\u00aded,\u201d Selvin said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

At the time, the Graph\u00adic Com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtions Inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal Union invit\u00aded Selvin to par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpate in con\u00adtract talks on the issue of how to accom\u00admo\u00addate peo\u00adple who want\u00aded to work part time and not just for care\u00adgiv\u00ading rea\u00adsons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt could also be book leave, which is a big thing in news,\u201d Selvin said. \u201cAnd News\u00adday was, at the time, the sixth largest paper in the coun\u00adtry. It was a des\u00adti\u00adna\u00adtion paper, peo\u00adple came there after they worked at oth\u00ader dai\u00adly papers.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a pres\u00adti\u00adgious job to have and so you had top lev\u00adel reporters who want\u00aded to write books and peo\u00adple who were com\u00admit\u00adted to their work as jour\u00adnal\u00adists and did\u00adn\u2019t want it to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1990 con\u00adtract, the GCIU includ\u00aded a pro\u00advi\u00adsion allow\u00ading union mem\u00adbers who were full time at News\u00adday for at least three years to take a min\u00adi\u00admum of three months and up to 18 months in a part-time posi\u00adtion for rea\u00adsons includ\u00ading \u201ccare of young chil\u00addren, elder\u00adly par\u00adents or dis\u00adabled fam\u00adi\u00adly mem\u00adbers or oth\u00ader fam\u00adi\u00adly dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties that present the employ\u00adee with seri\u00adous prob\u00adlems.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The con\u00adtract allowed employ\u00adees on a part-time, fam\u00adi\u00adly-work sched\u00adule to keep their health\u00adcare, though oth\u00ader ben\u00ade\u00adfits such as paid vaca\u00adtion, per\u00adson\u00adal days, or hol\u00adi\u00addays that occur on days they were not sched\u00aduled to work would be lost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selvin was preg\u00adnant with her sec\u00adond child in 1990, and took advan\u00adtage of this new oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty. When 1992 \u201crolled around,\u201d Selvin was com\u00ading to the end of her sec\u00adond 18-month part-time posi\u00adtion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey final\u00adly said \u2018Hey, you got\u00adta either come back or leave,\u2019\u201d Selvin said. But now, with two kids under the age of four, Selvin still want\u00aded to work part time. News\u00adday would only allow her to do so if she was fill\u00ading in for anoth\u00ader reporter that was on leave, which she did, switch\u00ading to the Dis\u00adcov\u00adery desk to do so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I had the nerve to get preg\u00adnant again,\u201d Selvin said.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Again, Selvin was involved in the con\u00adtract talks. Now, the News\u00adday com\u00adpa\u00adny agreed to have an open-end\u00aded part time with full pro\u00adrat\u00aded ben\u00ade\u00adfits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPer\u00adfect! Every\u00adthing! Exact\u00adly what it should have been in the begin\u00adning,\u201d Selvin said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, she was not eli\u00adgi\u00adble to par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpate, because she wasn\u2019t cov\u00adered by the union any\u00admore being a part-time employ\u00adee. She asked man\u00adage\u00adment to rein\u00adstate her in a full-time posi\u00adtion so she could take advan\u00adtage of this, and they said they would have to think about it <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two months lat\u00ader and sev\u00aden months into her third preg\u00adnan\u00adcy, Selvin\u2019s request was denied. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey told me no, they did\u00adn\u2019t want to set a prece\u00addent, but I could come back any\u00adtime and they\u2019d find some\u00adthing for me,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m still mad about that and I knew that I would nev\u00ader go back to News\u00adday after that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Selvin left her career as a reporter. She stayed home tak\u00ading care of her three kids for about five years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did slow\u00adly go crazy,\u201d she said. \u201cI kind of threw myself into this project and then that project.\u201d She even pub\u00adlished her ini\u00adtial find\u00adings on the fam\u00adi\u00adly work poli\u00adcies of the 20 largest news\u00adpa\u00adpers of the time in the September\/October issue of the Colum\u00adbia Jour\u00adnal\u00adism Review.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, Selvin went into teach\u00ading jour\u00adnal\u00adism at the col\u00adlege lev\u00adel. In 2007, she became the first full-time pro\u00adfes\u00adsor of Stony Brook University\u2019s School of Com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtion and Jour\u00adnal\u00adism \u201c\u2026after help\u00ading to design what was then the first School of Jour\u00adnal\u00adism in the SUNY sys\u00adtem and after sev\u00aden years as an adjunct instruc\u00adtor in Stony Brook\u2019s for\u00admer jour\u00adnal\u00adism minor,\u201d her bio<\/a> explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did find my way into teach\u00ading jour\u00adnal\u00adism and I loved it,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I did for the next 25 years.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Selvin not\u00aded her love of teach\u00ading high\u00adlight\u00aded her influ\u00adence on oth\u00aders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI could see the impact I was hav\u00ading on people\u2019s lives much more clear\u00adly than I could from my seat in the news\u00adroom,\u201d Selvin said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, had she been able to extend her part-time report\u00ading posi\u00adtion back in the 1990s, Selvin \u201cno doubt\u201d would have stayed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would have loved to have had a longer career in the news\u00adroom. I would have loved to have gone on, I was a good reporter and I would have real\u00adly liked to push myself,\u201d she said. \u201cOn the oth\u00ader hand, I had fun being with my kids.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
NEXT: What Aca\u00add\u00ade\u00adm\u00adic Stud\u00adies Show<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Made\u00adline Pap\u00adcun | UConn Jour\u00adnal\u00adismApril 2024 In the late 1980s, Bar\u00adbara Selvin was work\u00ading as a reporter at New York News\u00adday on the busi\u00adness desk when she became preg\u00adnant with her first child.  Selvin said she knew at the time that she did not want to con\u00adtin\u00adue work\u00ading full time while tak\u00ading care of\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":908,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-45","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/45","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/908"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/45\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":237,"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/45\/revisions\/237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/journalism-mothers-caregivers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}