Jesse Hirsch has worn several hats over the years \u2013 restaurant critic, agricultural reporter, and food journalist.<\/p>\n
An alumnus of Metcalf Institute\u2019s 2014 Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists and an investigative food editor for Consumer Reports, Hirsch \u201csits at the intersection of food, science and journalism.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a while I resisted being called a food journalist because I felt like I didn\u2019t have the expertise, but after doing the same thing for a while you learn on the job,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a bachelor\u2019s degree in journalism, Hirsch arrived in New York in search of a job with three years of general assignment reporting under his belt. He saw an opportunity in Edible Queensmagazine and went for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found a typo on the website,\u201d recalls Hirsch, who contacted the publisher to offer his help copyediting. She, in turn, offered him a job, which eventually led to the position of magazine editor. \u201cI kind of fell into it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hirsch also stumbled upon another unlikely career \u2013 restaurant critic. \u201cI didn\u2019t like the fact that you can write a bad review about a place and it can affect a family\u2019s livelihood,\u201d he said. \u201cI always loved eating out, but the job kind of took the joy out of the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Hirsch applied for a Metcalf fellowship, he had just begun covering the agricultural beat for Modern Farmer, a magazine geared toward \u201ccutting-edge food producers and consumers.\u201d Hirsh wrote about a variety of topics related to farm life and farm animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it came to science-based stories, I felt like I was behind the eight ball and didn\u2019t want to take the surface approach that you see from reporters who aren\u2019t deeply invested in science journalism,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought the workshop would give me a position of more authority to write about science-based topics.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLearning how to read scientific studies at Metcalf and how to ask the right questions has been so valuable,\u201d he added, especially in his current position at Consumer Reports. \u201cSince I\u2019ve been here, 90 percent of the stories I\u2019ve done have been steeped in science and much of the time focused on a recent study.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hirsch, who states on the Consumer Reports website that he strives \u201cto make things more transparent for eaters everywhere\u201d reports on everything from studies warning of the dangers of consuming certain products to research touting the health benefits of drinking hot tea to prevent glaucoma or eating leafy green vegetables to protect the brain from memory loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m motivated to write a story like that because people need to know about it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt can change their lives based on the things that they eat and that feels like a big responsibility to me and a lot of power. It makes me feel good about my choice of career,\u201d he added, and appreciative of the training he received at Metcalf Institute.<\/p>\n
\u201cMetcalf was one of the best experiences I\u2019ve had,\u201d he said. \u201cI know how much weight to give one study versus another study now, I know what questions to ask scientists and I know how to read the studies.\u201d<\/p>\n