Holly Burns and Gisselle Medina awarded White House Correspondents’ Association scholarships

Two people sit side by side on stairs indoors. Holly Burns, with curly brown hair, wears a green shirt under a leather jacket and has a serious expression. Gisselle Medina, with short dark hair, wears a colorful jacket and smiles brightly.

Two first-year Berkeley Journalism graduate students Holly Burns and Gisselle Medina have been awarded White House Correspondents’ Association scholarships, the organization has announced. Burns was a CAA Leadership Award Scholar and a staff writer at The Daily Californian and has recently had work featured on Northgate and KALX radio. Passionate about character-driven narratives, she is…

Read More

Nazmul Ahasan and MJ Johnson named Class of 2023 commencement speakers

A split image featuring two distinguished commencement speakers against a dark blue background. On the left, Nazmul Ahasan, a man with short black hair wearing a grey hoodie. On the right, a woman from the Class of 2023 with curly brown hair, glasses, and a yellow top.

Two students have been selected by their peers as the Class of 2023 commencement speakers: Nazmul Ahasan and MJ Johnson. This is a high honor at the school and reflects the respect each of them has earned. Congratulations to them both! Nazmul Ahasan is a journalist and researcher with experience in data and investigative journalism,…

Read More

4 alumni films to screen at the San Francisco International Film Festival

Promotional poster for the 66th San Francisco International Film Festival. The text "SFFILM 2023 festival" is artistically arranged in a spiral pattern. With SFFILM screenings from April 13 to April 23, find more information at SFFILM.org.

Documentary films by six alumni will screen at the San Francisco International Film Festival April 13-23. Pete Nicks (‘99), Sean Havey (’14) and Gaby Arvizu’s (’16) film “Underrated“, featuring the breakout story of NBA superstar Stephen Curry will kick off the 66th SFFILM Festival. Also screening are Débora Souza Silva’s (’14) “Sol in the Garden”…

Read More

Announcing the 2023 Ferriss–UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellows

Three different MRI brain scans showing the brain's structure in sagittal, coronal, and axial planes. Certain areas are highlighted in orange, indicating regions of interest or activation within the brain—much like the investigative approach seen in Berkeley Journalism.

The UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism today announced the 2023 cohort of Ferriss–UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellows. The groundbreaking fellowship, established by leading podcaster and bestselling author Tim Ferriss in 2021, is a project of the U.C. Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics. Launched in 2020, the BCSP was co-founded by Michael Pollan,…

Read More

Alumni Portrait: Lucas Waldron (‘17), Graphics Editor at ProPublica

A person in a grey sweatshirt is seated at a desk, looking through a stack of papers in a ring binder. Various documents and notes are spread out on the desk, alongside tools of a graphics editor. The person appears focused on their task, with a whiteboard visible in the background.

Lucas Waldron (‘17) describes his job as “finding ways to explain complicated concepts using visuals.” That includes video, motion graphics, mapping and data visualization. Waldron (‘17) joined ProPublica right after graduating from Berkeley’s Journalism School. With degrees in Politics and Film Studies at the University of San Francisco, he had little professional experience. In his…

Read More

Early-career journalists invited to apply for California Local News Fellowships

A woman with shoulder-length hair holds a camera mounted on a stabilizer. She smiles while adjusting the settings during an Info Session. In the background, people and blurred lights can be seen, suggesting an outdoor or casual setting.

The application process opens today for early-career journalists to apply to the California Local News Fellowship, a new state-funded initiative to support and strengthen local reporting, with a focus on underserved communities. The two-year, full-time fellowship will place journalists who have up to five years of experience in newsrooms around the state. The program is…

Read More

Alumni, students and faculty feature at the Sundance Film Festival

A sign with "Sundance Film Festival" in large gold letters is prominently displayed above a theater entrance. The marquee, lit by several round light bulbs, welcomes the festival's alumni and students alike. Part of a vertical sign is visible in the background against a clear blue sky.

In January, over a dozen alumni joined industry guests and hosts Professor Jennifer Redfearn, Jigar Mehta (’05), Duc Pham (BS ’02) and alumni regent Amanda Pouchot at the annual “Cal @ Sundance” event in Park City, Utah. The campus conclave celebrates the community of Berkeley alumni involved in the prestigious festival. Berkeley Journalism’s rich history…

Read More

Announcing a new fellowship program in honor of Black History Month

A cozy building with large illuminated windows at dusk. The exterior features brick and wooden elements with lush greenery climbing the facade. A brick walkway leads to the entrance, where advisors often meet on a wooden bench surrounded by small plants near the doorway.

Dear Berkeley Journalism Community, Black History Month presents an opportunity to reflect on the country’s struggle with race relations going back to 1619. And it’s a chance to celebrate the successes of Black people in re-envisioning the world through art, ideas and culture, including journalism. As a school, we want to deepen our engagement with…

Read More