How long have you been a part of the Fordham community?
I've been teaching at Fordham since 2007. Before that, I had spent 14 years living in Russia, working as a journalist. My last job there was as Moscow Bureau Chief for CBS News.
What institutions have you received degrees from?
I earned my doctorate and masters degree at Harvard, and was an undergrad at Barnard College, which is part of Columbia University. So I know that New York City is a fantastic place to go to college.
What class(es) have you taught/are teaching for the ’10-’11 academic year?
In the fall, I taught three courses. The first was a new Television Production course where we taught students to shoot video, edit it, write for broadcast and anchor, and then set them loose to make a tv series about Fordham. The series is called "Eye on Fordham" and it's airing now on Bronx Community Television. So that's a pretty exciting course. The second was called "TV News Innovators," where we study the men and women who made television news what it is today. I love this course too, and the best part of teaching in New York is that we've been able to have some of the innovators, or people they worked with, come to Fordham to speak. And the third course is "Journalism Workshop," where we work on print writing skills. I'm the advisor to the Rose Hill newspaper, The Ram, and so a lot of Ram writers take the course to improve their writing and reporting.
In the spring, I'm on sabbatical, working on a new book. So I'm not teaching now, but I'll be back in the fall. I usually teach "Writing TV and Radio News" in the spring term, which is fun to do in New York because I can have working journalists come in to talk about how they do their jobs. We also went to visit WCBS 880 newsradio last year, which was a thrill, even for me.
What are the most noteworthy contributions (publications, special projects) you’ve given your field/discipline?
I recently published a guidebook for young journalists along with the great "60 Minutes" star Mike Wallace. Mike and I had worked together at CBS News before I came to Fordham, and he came to speak to my "TV News Innovators" class. He said such interesting things about journalism that day that I suggested he write a book about how to do journalism. We ended up writing it together, and I think it gives solid information to young reporters about how to do compelling journalism.
I also serve as a judge for the News and Documentary Emmy Awards, and serve on the Community Advisor Board for New York Public Radio, which runs WNYC (mostly a news station) and WQXR (a classical music station). (We have another great public radio station right on the Rose Hill campus, WFUV, which does an amazing job training student-reporters.)
What current research projects are you involved with?
I'm working on a new book about how watchdog reporting, the journalism that focuses on monitoring the work of the government, is changing in the Internet era.
How would you describe the typical Fordham student?
The typical Fordham student is smart, fun-loving and motivated. They're generally people who are want to make the world a better place in some way. And most of them really love being in New York, and take advantage of the many things the city has to offer.
Click here more information about the Communications and Media Studies Program at Fordham.
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