Good
News for Emory Journalism
This
fall, Emory
journalism students will learn about journalism ethics,
standards, and history from an accomplished journalist who is
fiercely committed to preserving the noblest aspects of her
profession.
I
have tremendous passion for this field, and I trust that in
sharing it with students Ill be able to help them frame
the way they approach journalism both as practitioners and as
consumers of news, says Catherine Manegold, Emorys
new James M. Cox Jr. Professor of Journalism. For me,
its a wonderful transition in a very rich career.
A
national search for the new Cox professor led to Manegold, longtime
New York Times correspondent, author of the book In Glorys
Shadow (inspired by Shannon Faulkners controversial challenge
to the admissions policy at the all-male Citadel), seven-time
Pulitzer Prize nominee, and winner of a Pulitzer Prize team
award for New York Times coverage of the 1993 World Trade Center
bombing.
At
Emory, Manegold plans to team with journalism program director
Sheila Tefft to shape the program and will teach courses in
journalism ethics and history as well as supervising two honors
students. Emorys program, offered only as a co-major or
minor with another subject, is made up of about sixty students
who are pushed to develop a thoughtful, broadly informed approach
to news reporting, Tefft says. Many are also political science,
economics, business, or health sciences majors.
Atlanta-based
Cox Enterprises endowed the Cox professorship to honor its founder,
James M. Cox, a former Ohio governor and presidential candidate.
Catherine Manegolds strong grounding in real-life
reporting is just the right ticket for her to guide this fine
program, says David Easterly, president of Cox.
Manegold
says she is particularly looking forward to helping students
discover the inherent nobility of the journalism profession,
an aspect all but lost in current derisive attitudes toward
the media.
I
feel strongly that journalism is a truly necessary component
of a healthy democracy, Manegold says. At this point
in our history, journalism is looked at without respect, often
with outright disdain. But its a tremendous resource and
one that we cannot take for granted. I want to show these students
what a fundamental role great journalism can play in the broader
cultural dialogue.
The
more students understand that role and the more they respect
the power of it, the better off the profession will be.
P.P.P.