Patch User Profile for Amanda Fiscina

Amanda Fiscina, Patch Staff
Farmingdale, NY

E-mail: amandaf@patch.com Phone: 631-905-1460 Hometown: North Massapequa, NY Twitter: @DalerPatch Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FarmingdalePatch Welcome video: http://patch.com/A-c8NZ

Bio: Amanda Fiscina is a graduate of Fordham University, where she was editor-in-chief of The Ram, the University's 92-year-old newspaper and the recipient of the Edward A. Walsh award for excellence in journalism. She was Local Editor of the Smithtown Patch site for five months before starting up a Patch in her hometown of Farmingdale. She is currently pursuing a master's degree part-time in Digital Media at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

Before joining Patch, Amanda worked in the editorial departments of the New York Post and Crain Communications Inc. and in the investigative unit at CBS. She also wrote for the Farmingdale Observer and other Long Island community newspapers.

Beliefs: At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for our editors to inject these beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that our beliefs are on the record will force us to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you, the user, ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know. Politics: I believe every decision the government and our politicians make deserves critical attention and am a registered independent.

Religion: I attend mass every Sunday because I believe that faith reminds you to be a better person. However, I am an admitted "Cafeteria Catholic" and remain skeptical of many church political decisions.

Local Hot Button Issues: There are several key issues facing Farmingdale and many other parts of Long Island, like the heavy tax burden, annual school budget negotiations and the proliferation of drug use among the young adults. As a graduate of Plainedge High School under contingency budget conditions I felt first-hand the pain of budget cuts. I was in a unique position to see how my education both in and out of the classroom was affected by the loss of programs under austerity and how my parents and friends' parents simply could not afford the heavy tax increase the original budget stipulated. I believe Long Island residents and politicians need to clearly articulate to Albany what we need and come up with effective ways to keep our quality of our schools up and our taxes down. I also have unfortunately seen the effects of drug use among my classmates and the generation below me and believe we need to stop ignoring and sugarcoating this dangerous issue.