UNC School of Journalism
Walter Hussman returns as UNC’s journalism school faces crisis of values, diversity
The mega-donor's 'hush-hush homecoming' reignites concern among faculty When Walter Hussman returned to UNC-Chapel Hill this week, he hoped to begin mending relations with the journalism school that bears his name. But that proved to be difficult, given the mega-donor’s lobbying against the hiring of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones.
N&O columnist: Time for UNC to send right-wing mega-donor packing
Be sure to check out columnist Ned Barnett’s fine essay in this morning’s edition of Raleigh’s News & Observer. In “As Hussman returns to UNC, it’s time for UNC to say goodbye,” he offers a clear explanation of why the UNC School of Journalism should end its relationship with the man — right-wing publisher Walter […]
PW exclusive: Journalism historian discusses role of American newspapers in abetting white supremacy
Prof. Kathy Roberts Forde previews upcoming talk at UNC-Chapel Hill and reflects on recent controversies that have roiled her alma mater Journalists like to think of themselves as part of a long lineage of truth seekers, a “fourth estate” in American life keeping government honest and shining light in dark places since the founding of the republic.
Search for new UNC journalism school dean commences in aftermath of Hannah-Jones/Hussman controversy
The search committee charged with finding the next dean of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media set out its goals and a rough timeline this week. The search comes in the wake of this summer’s fight over the school’s failed attempt to hire Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones in a tenured position...
UNC journalism faculty members: Wealthy donors should not define the school’s values
Members of the UNC-Chapel Hill journalism school faculty overwhelmingly reject the notion that a mega-donor's "core values" of journalism should be the official values of the school, according to a recent survey. Instead, the faculty members favor independently determining the school's values.
A humiliating and damaging defeat for UNC and North Carolina
Nikole Hannah-Jones’s decision marks yet another tragic chapter in the right’s destructive war on a great university So, it isn’t to be after all. Months after having pulled off the formidable accomplishment of recruiting one of the nation’s most accomplished and admired Black journalists to return to her alma mater and help lead the university’s […]
Nikole Hannah-Jones declines UNC tenure offer, heads to Howard University
In an exclusive interview, Hannah-Jones reveals that she and fellow award-winning journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates will launch new Center for Democracy and Journalism at Washington, DC HBCU After months of public controversy and behind-the-scenes political struggles, acclaimed journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones has decided not to join the faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Trustees’ handling of Nikole Hannah-Jones’ tenure application shows how university boards often fail the accountability test
University boards of trustees hold considerable power over the institutions they govern, but get attention only when they’re hiring a new president or if there is a crisis. Yet, increasingly boards aren’t navigating or mediating crises – they are creating them. On June 30, after deliberating in a closed session, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees voted 9-4 to grant journalist, MacArthur Fellowship recipient and Pulitzer Prize winner Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure.
UNC mega-donor Walter Hussman denies exerting pressure over Hannah-Jones hiring
Board of Trustees face Friday deadline to avoid legal action As the deadline approaches for UNC-Chapel Hill to avoid a federal discrimination lawsuit over its handling of acclaimed journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones’s tenure application, new details continue to emerge about the behind-the-scenes lobbying that led the university to a crisis point.
Major donor pressure revealed in Hannah-Jones tenure controversy as lawsuit deadline looms
UNC-Chapel Hill mega-donor Walter Hussman Jr. lobbied against the school hiring acclaimed journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones in the journalism school that bears his name, digital magazine The Assembly first reported over the weekend. In e-mails obtained by reporter John Drescher, Hussman criticized Hannah-Jones’s work and said he was worried her hiring would bring controversy to and […]
Message laundering: How the far right is getting its dirty work done at UNC
There are a lot of reasons to be outraged by the recent preposterous decision of UNC-Chapel Hill leaders to deny academic tenure to acclaimed journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and instead hire her as a contact employee. First, of course, is the fact that Hannah-Jones, who was recently appointed to fill the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at UNC’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media, is uniquely and supremely qualified for the job.