Journalism Deans and Local News Initiative

The image has a teal background with white text in quotation marks that reads: "Our very democracy is at risk," highlighting the critical role of Journalism Deans in maintaining informed communities.

At a time when the very survival of local news is at risk, the Press Forward initiative’s pledge to inject more than $500 million into the journalism that sustains civic life inspires new hope. We applaud the coalition of 22 donors, including anchor investors the MacArthur Foundation and the Knight Foundation, who have made a…

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Making way for new leadership

An older man with white hair and a kindly expression is wearing a gray suit, blue shirt, and red tie. He stands in front of a backdrop with repeated text that reads "Berkeley Journalism.

Dear Colleagues, I write to share the news that after six and a half years leading Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, Edward Wasserman has announced that he will be stepping down as dean and rejoining the faculty full-time. He will continue on as dean this academic year while we conduct a nationwide search for his…

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Dean Edward Wasserman Op-Ed in NYT: Julian Assange and the Woeful State of Whistle-Blowers

A newspaper article titled "Julian Assange and the War on Whistle-Blowers," written by Edward Wasserman, Dean of Berkeley Journalism. The text discusses Assange's imprisonment, extradition, and the implications for government secrecy and journalism ethics. The publisher is The New York Times, dated April 27, 2019.

Opinion Julian Assange and the Woeful State of Whistle-Blowers As the media’s indispensable helpmates, don’t they deserve constitutional protection too? By Edward Wasserman Dr. Wasserman is the dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. April 26, 2019 Illustration by Adam Maida; Photographs by aaaaimages and Boris Roessler/picture alliance, via Getty…

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April 2019 Dean’s Letter

A charming building with large windows glowing warmly from interior lights, surrounded by lush greenery and climbing vines. The brick pathway in front is illuminated by soft, ambient lighting, adding to the cozy and inviting atmosphere of the scene, reminiscent of a Berkeley Journalism retreat.

Dear friends of Berkeley Journalism, Our Spring Welcome visit, which gives recently admitted applicants a chance to see the School up close so they can decide if they want to come, is a powerful reminder of just how strong the appeal of journalism remains. Despite the anti-media cynicism and disparagement that they’ve grown up with,…

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Johnathan Rodgers Fellows visit Berkeley Journalism during Spring Welcome Week

2019 Rodger Fellows

    Ten recently admitted students to the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism traveled from all over the U.S.–and the world—to visit the School during the 2019 Spring Welcome Week, thanks to a fund created by media executive and Berkeley alum Johnathan Rodgers (’67). The Rodgers Fellowships are designed to increase diversity at the…

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Investigative reporting professor Lowell Bergman to retire

A man with gray hair and a warm smile is sitting in a room with bookshelves and art on the walls. He is wearing a brown jacket over a blue shirt. In the dim, cozy light, he exudes an air of introspection, reminiscent of someone from Berkeley Journalism deep in thought.

He’s been threatening for years. But this time it’s real. Lowell Bergman is retiring. Briefly. In June, Bergman will step aside as the Reva and David Logan Distinguished Professor in Investigative Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism. A month later, he’ll be back as an emeritus chair who will continue…

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Michael Pollan Names 10 Food and Farming Journalism Fellows

Food & Farming Fellows Banner 2018

Journalists with a passion for reporting on food and agriculture will have a chance to pursue their interest yet again, owing to The 11th Hour Project, a program of The Schmidt Family Foundation created by Berkeley Journalism alumna Wendy Schmidt (’81). The 11th Hour Project funds 10 Food and Farming Journalism fellowships of $10,000 each.…

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Dean’s Letter – June 2018

2018 Commencement

June 6, 2018 Greetings from North Gate Hall: At a time when the civic mission of the news media is under assault, the rise of the #MeToo movement reminds all of us of the transformative power journalism can have when determined reporters ignore decades of neglect and expose practices that systematically disadvantage millions of people.…

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