'I Believe In Journalism'
I believe that the fundamental principles of journalism remain essential to producing journalism that matters. And I believe in the transformative power of education
By John W. Fountain
A JOURNALISM EDUCATOR, I believe students are at the core of the existence of institutions of higher learning and are the sole reason for our existence as teachers. I believe that as an African-American professor I am uniquely positioned in experience and perspective to offer both inside and outside the classroom an introduction, if not complete immersion, into issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. As an educator, I seek to foster an environment in which all students regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or nationality feel welcome to learn and fully engage in intellectual discourse. That is my earnest endeavor.
I believe that as a journalism professor it is my duty to instruct, sharing from my base of knowledge and expertise while always seeking to expand upon and integrate new information, strategies and technologies in newsgathering and journalistic storytelling, even in an ever-evolving world of journalism and multimedia storytelling. As critical in my role as teacher is the challenge to inspire and also empower, to seek to encourage students to do their best work, to move beyond their comfort zone, and to embrace their own individual uniqueness regardless of gender, race or disability as they pursue knowledge and their place in this world.
I believe that the fundamental principles of journalism remain essential to producing journalism that matters. And I believe in the transformative power of education and, therefore, in creating a classroom atmosphere that provides opportunity for students to engage in substantive dialogue and to apply techniques, skills and lessons learned in the field as experiential and service learning.
Previous student opportunities have included journalism convergence projects on real-world social issues, including a semester-long undertaking on homelessness in Chicago in a project titled, “When The City Turns Cold,” interviewing those on the frontlines, from the homeless themselves to agencies and individuals working to make a difference; covering the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, in a project titled, “Faces of The Poisoned,” an immersive reporting project on-site that led students into the homes, streets and businesses of those most affected (and also gave them an opportunity to cover a National Democratic Primary Debate held during that same time in Flint); covering murder in the city of Chicago in a project titled, “Murder Was The Case,” and another titled, “Saving Our Sons,” from the perspectives of victims, survivors and grassroots organizations; the story of 51 mostly African-American women murdered in Chicago over a nearly 20-year period and believed to be the work of at least one serial killer in a yearlong, national award-winning investigative project titled, “Unforgotten 51”; covering the “March to End Gun Violence,” which entailed being immersed as reporters with members of the Faith Community of St. Sabina on a 12-hour bus trek from Chicago to Washington, D.C., and covering the national march held in the nation’s Capital; and covering various political elections, social justice issues, marches and protests, including Black Lives Matter, the LGBTQ+ community and the disabled, including Project Onward, a nonprofit art studio and gallery in Chicago.
I believe that students should have the opportunity to publish their work, which I have facilitated in several ways, including producing journalism multimedia project websites as narratives, podcasts, videos and sound slideshows, and also helping to connect students with small and large mainstream newspapers, where some of their work during my tenure has been published in places like the Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, the Associated Press, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Crusader and other publications.
I BELIEVE THAT BY implementing a number of teaching strategies in the lecture-discussion format, I can foster a supportive environment, one that not only increases student engagement but also challenges students. I follow a teacher-scholar model—employing my nearly 20 years as a journalism educator and more than 35 years professional journalism experience, including as an award-winning journalist and national correspondent at the New York Times, staff writer at the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune and a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times—and my scholarship and research on media, poverty, race and crime as a Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan and a U.S. Fulbright Scholar (Ghana, 2021-22).
I present students with a mix of in-class work and outside major writing assignments as well as objective exams in fundamental journalism courses, and also essays in advanced journalism courses. The major writing assignments, range from inverted pyramid news writing to news features, including profiles, events and speech stories, trend, enterprise and general human-interest stories. The assignments are designed to help prepare the student as a quality journalistic storyteller. I grade that work meticulously, providing both a line-edit and also a conceptual edit, believing that grading is another arm of instruction that can dramatically help students improve the quality of their work. I seek to make myself available to students through both regular office hours and by returning emailed inquiries promptly.
I bring in outside speakers, successful journalists engaged in producing news, some of them former students, to discuss current trends, tips and other information about the news industry and also to share their stories of success as potential inspiration for current students.
As a journalism educator, this is my reasonable service and teaching journalism is one of my greatest passions.
JOHN W. FOUNTAIN
Email: Author@johnwfountain.com
Click below for Fountain’s Bio & Resume:
BIO & Resume
