Berkeley Journalism is proud of the 2800+ students who have graduated from North Gate Hall. We celebrate the immense contributions you’ve made to the communities and organizations you serve.
The thesis films of two Class of 2023 graduates have been recognized as among the best in the world by the jury for the 50th Student Academy Awards. MJ Johnson is among the seven documentary finalists and Meruyert “Mika” Shalbayeva was amongst 17 semifinalists by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Johnson, a…
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L.A. Times Short Docs, a platform for innovative short documentaries, is launching a special series in association with Berkeley Journalism as part of its second season. The first film, “Split Jury,” by Linus Unah (‘23) and Buddy Terry (‘23), premiered Aug. 9. The film details how nearly 90 years after Oregon allowed split jury verdicts,…
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Dear Berkeley Journalism Community, We live in a moment like no other. The threats to democratic culture posed by weaponized disinformation, partisan disharmony, and rising authoritarianism driven by advances in technology show no sign of abating. And the traditional media system has yet to fully grapple with how our changing world requires a very different…
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Berkeley Journalism is proud to announce it has hired the pioneering documentary filmmaker, journalist and media industry trailblazer Jason Spingarn-Koff to lead an effort to reinvent journalism about climate change. After a monthslong, nationwide search, the school selected Spingarn-Koff as the new professor of journalism and Knight Chair of Climate Journalism. Knight Chairs in Journalism…
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The work of six alumni was honored in the 2023 Pulitzer Prizes, in the Breaking News, International Reporting, Investigative Reporting and Public Service categories, Columbia University announced this month. Serginho Roosblad (‘18), video producer for the Associated Press, was on the team that won the prize for Public Service for “Courageous reporting from the besieged…
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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…
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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…
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Our latest alumni profile features Lisa Pickoff-White, whose dedication and involvement with Berkeley Journalism continues more than a decade after she graduated. Her lasting imprint on the school is seen through the many initiatives at KQED that involve Berkeley Journalism students. She is a frequent guest speaker, sharing wisdom with students about her work and…
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Berkeley-based disability rights pioneer Hale Zukas died on November 30th in Berkeley, California. He was 79 years old. Born with cerebral palsy, which significantly impaired his mobility and speech, doctors advised his parents to put him in an institution. Instead, they facilitated a full, productive life for him. His extraordinary life was celebrated in “Hale,”…
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Reporter and producer Rae de Leon’s (’14) new documentary, “Victim/Suspect,” will screen as an official selection of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Documentary Competition. The film is the result of a four-year investigation and features a first-of-its-kind case study of investigations in which police charged self-reporting sexual assault and rape victims with…
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