Breaking news: FGCU journalism grad capturing top stories for Fox News
5 – minute read
Lots of people want to see their name in lights, but Julia Bonavita? She wants to see her name in photo credits.
The 2021 Florida Gulf Coast University journalism graduate has been a production assistant for photo and video at Fox News Digital for the last two years, shooting photos in the field and managing a team of freelancers across the country. She recently was promoted to writer on the U.S./crime team.
Bonavita says, “If there’s a photo, I’m there.”
For many breaking news moments of the last two years — including the Los Angeles wildfires and other major events — she has been.
A self-proclaimed news junkie, Bonavita knew what she wanted to do at an early age. When she was 8 years old, her parents took her to New York City, and she had a revelation: “That is where I’m going to live, and I’m going to cover the news.”
She’s been focused on that goal ever since. Bonavita studied journalism at a middle school of the arts and a high school of the arts. She later went on to study multimedia journalism through New York University’s graduate program, but she credits the FGCU journalism program and its professors with helping her acquire the skills and experience she needed to work at a national news company.
“I remember I would have to leave class to go cover photo assignments, and the professors were so accommodating,” she said. “They were always giving me tips. They were helping me get jobs. They were always supportive of me.”
Hands-on learning at FGCU
While at FGCU, Bonavita freelanced for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. She also worked as photo editor for Eagle News and shot photos for University Marketing & Communications and FGCU Athletics.
She was covering a basketball game at Alico Arena when Bonavita met her photography mentor, James Greco.
“She has an amazing work ethic,” said Greco, University Marketing & Communications’ longtime photographer and an adjunct photography instructor. “She really put the time into learning her craft, specifically the creative controls of the camera and using them to tell the stories she was capturing.”
When Bonavita sat next to Greco while shooting basketball games, he’d give her advice about camera settings and gear to buy. “I took his class, and that was the moment when I went from being an OK photographer to an actually good photographer. It was because of him.”
Covering news as it happens
Bonavita’s days at Fox News Digital are less predictable than when she was capturing Eagles student-athletes in action — or even when she was working for the NBA or for Getty Images.
There was the day last December, for example, when UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed just a few blocks from Fox News offices in midtown Manhattan.
“I had gotten in and my boss was like, ‘Drop your stuff off, get your camera and go,’” Bonavita said. “I ran down there and was there when the crime scene unit pulled up.”
Another high-profile assignment was covering the 2023 chokehold death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man whose final moments on a New York City subway train were captured on bystander video. Bonavita was on hand as his accused killer, Daniel Penny, was led into the police station, and she covered his trial from start to finish. The case sparked protests and drew national attention. Penny was acquitted in December of criminally negligent homicide.
“My boss sent me down there, and I was really nervous,” she said of covering Penny’s arrest. “I’d brought my sports lens that I used to use to shoot FGCU baseball and soccer games, a big 600-millimeter lens, and I shot his perp walk from across the street. Even to this day, whenever the channel is talking about Daniel Penny, that photo is running.”
Adapting to changing technology
One thing Bonavita finds challenging about working in news is that the industry and its technology are constantly changing. Drones are being used more and more not only to capture visuals but to collect information, such as whether the FBI has entered a suspect’s home.
Bonavita recently earned her drone pilot’s license. As she was studying for the test, she knew exactly the licensed drone pilot to reach out to for advice: Greco.
“I’m really proud of her — she’s thriving out there,” Greco said. “She definitely showcases what FGCU is about. Her hard work and success should inspire today’s students pursuing careers in journalism.”
Even just a few years into her career, Bonavita says her days are filled with moments that remind her how lucky she is to do what she does.
“Every day when I get off the subway at Rockefeller Center and walk to the Fox News office, I have to pinch myself,” she said. “Every time I see my photos run on Fox’s channel, it’s so surreal. Part of me is still getting used to the fact that it’s not just the small FGCU campus seeing my photos — it’s now the entire country, the entire world.”