Veteran political reporter and former J-School director Rob Gunnison to teach in spring semester

Rob Gunnison retired in January 2013, but that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to teach journalism.

This time, he is returning to North Gate Hall to teach a boots-on-the-ground course on political reporting. It will be offered spring semester.

“I hear it’s an election year,” Gunnison jokes.

Spring semester will encompass a presidential primary and a U.S. Senate contest. On the state level, there will be races in 53 congressional districts, 40 assembly districts and 20 Senate districts. Locally, several races and ballot initiatives are on the table.

Gunnison spent 15 years covering state politics and government for The San Francisco Chronicle in Sacramento. Subsequently he served as director of school affairs at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. Since 1999, he’s taught a variety of courses including investigative reporting with Prof. Lowell Bergman, public records and J200.

“I enjoy teaching,” said Gunnison. “It scares me to death, but I enjoy it.”

In the fast-paced world of politics where, for instance, the Republican frontrunner for Speaker of the House, U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, abruptly drops from the race–to the utter surprise of Capitol Hill–Gunnison hopes to help students prepare for these sudden twists and turns.

From polling to campaign finance, Gunnison plans to cover the particulars of political reporting. The idea is to train students to be able to cover politics in any region. His goal is teach approach, so that the same skills can be applied to any type of reporting.

The political reporting class will also dive into specifics, from how campaigns are organized to how they are financed and operated. Students will learn how to read polls and campaign finance reports and will write stories based on the information.

Stories will be published in Capital Weekly in Sacramento, although students will have the option of freelancing for other outlets too.

“Needless to say, we’re all very happy to have Rob back with us, especially in light of the unusually turbulent election year that’s taking shape,” says Dean Edward Wasserman. “There isn’t anybody I’d rather have teaching how to cover California politics.”

Since his retirement, Gunnison has also taught a class in Sacramento through UC Berkeley Summer Sessions.

“The first thing I noticed about Rob was his mild yet energetic character that was coupled with a deep knowledge about California politics,” said Robin Simmonds, a first-year student at the J-School who took the undergraduate class in 2014. “I found in his class inspiration to pursue a field that I had never considered as part of my interest before.”

For Gunnison, building friendships with students and watching student careers blossom is the most rewarding product of teaching.

“I’m excited about being back at North Gate around people I admire and think the world of.”

By Atia Musazay (‘17)