PHILOSOPHY

As a journalist and media educator, I am constantly thinking about the skills and knowledge students need as they start their career and become engaged citizens.

While rereading an article I wrote about this topic, a quote from a senior editor at The Atlantic stood out. When he hires recent graduates, the editor said he looks for “junior editors-in-chief” and “people who are intellectually curious.” His comment illustrates my two primary teaching objectives: (1) Prepare students to be confident communicators who can operate with little oversight, and can adapt to new technologies and work environments. (2) Foster critical thinkers who understand the role of media in society and in their lives, and who are able to judge the reliability of information they access.

Students preparing for a career in a communication field will likely be asked to work independently, serve as their own editors and curators, and make immediate contributions in the workplace. Being junior editors-in-chief means having a breadth of multimedia journalism skills that are transferable to many settings. My goal is to teach students to think analytically, act responsibly, and tell stories creatively. How do I accomplish this?

First, I focus on foundational journalism skills. I teach students how conduct thorough research, including accessing public records and using data analysis to find story ideas. I ask them to conduct listening sessions in their communities so they cover news that matters to their audiences. I require students to write a clear focus statement when pitching a news story and refer back to that statement when making editorial decisions. I encourage them to consider a solutions journalism approach, which emphasizes not just problems but also potential solutions to issues. I teach interviewing techniques, reporting and editing skills, and emphasize ethics at each stage of the editorial process. Students learn how to tell stories not only through writing, but through audio, video, and data visualization. Once their story is published, I teach them to use audience analytics tools to measure how their story is resonating with the public.

I give students extensive feedback on their work – from interview questions to story outlines to podcast scripts to rough cuts and final drafts. In teaching evaluations, students commonly note the unusual amount of personalized attention they receive. As one student wrote: “You can tell he cares about us as individual students. All of his comments on my stories were made on an individual basis, they weren’t generic statements that left you wondering whether he has actually spent time on your story or not.”

This personalized attention extends to other settings, as well. Students in my courses are required to schedule a face-to-face meeting with me within the first several weeks of the semester so that we can discuss their goals and early progress. I have found that students are more likely to feel comfortable participating in class discussions and approaching me with questions if we have met to discuss their interests and concerns. Through formative feedback from students, I learn about how I can adapt my teaching to target areas of student weaknesses and cover topics of student interest, and I have a better sense of how to tailor instruction and feedback to individuals. Early interventions also demonstrate to students my investment in their success. As a student wrote on my course evaluation: “He was very willing to talk to students when they were struggling. He sought me out when I was failing the course.”

I believe in active learning and view my role in seminars as a facilitator. Whether I have freshmen in a media literacy course or graduate students in a media and politics course, I teach critical thinking skills through hands-on activities rather than lectures. Two examples from these courses: In media literacy, together we attempt to reverse engineer Google’s algorithm as a way of learning about algorithmic personalization and bias. Then, students present case studies to the class. In media and politics, students use communication theories (e.g., priming, framing, agenda setting) to analyze political campaign advertisements and then create their own advertisements for local candidates. In recent years, as the press has increasingly come under attack, I have emphasized the importance of free speech and self-expression, and journalism as a public good.  

Finally, I believe in tying pedagogy to research. My most recent research examines how journalists who are members of historically marginalized groups often come to perceive that their appearance and way of speaking is unprofessional and, as a result, downplay identity-based differences to conform to the mainstream. I discuss with students how broadcast journalism often does not reflect our increasingly diverse society and how we can create change. I also engage students in discussions on another research topic: political and civic engagement among college students. We examine why students are often hesitant to discuss politics on social media and what would compel them to engage in online discourse. I use my research on these topics as jumping off points and encourage students to reflect on their personal experiences.