News

During a semester marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and UNC’s decision to go to all-virtual learning, a research project conducted by the “MEJO 448: Freedom of Expression” course at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media ensures student voices will go down in history talking about the unprecedented time.

by Barbara Wiedemann
A study released today in JAMA Pediatrics suggests that current rap hits are significantly more likely to include lyrics about depression, suicide and general mental health struggles than ever before. Lead researcher Alex Kresovich is a Roy H. Park Fellow Ph.D. student at UNC Hussman School of Journalism who studies rap music from a health communications perspective. 

Julia and her father, Dean Johnson, are both celebrating graduations from the University this Fall. Julia received her undergraduate degree in media and journalism, while her father earned an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

This year, communities across the country, including at UNC-Chapel Hill, came together to face unprecedented challenges while also delving into a nationwide racial reckoning. This year’s Eve Carson Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, Dec. 2 by journalist Karen Parker ’65 helped a 600-plus virtual audience explore the complex history that led to this unique moment.

Carolyn Van Houten ’14 graduated from UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media only six years ago, but the industry has already recognized her as a leader in her field of photojournalism. This week, the 29-year-old native North Carolinian was selected for the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Media category. Van Houten is a photojournalist at The Washington Post, based in Washington, D.C.

by Barbara Wiedemann
“No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram,” the first book by UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media alumna Sarah Frier ’11, won the Financial Times/McKinsey 2020 Business Book of the Year Award during a live ceremony from London on Tuesday, Dec. 1. The short list for the £30,000 award included authors Jill Lepore, Daniel Susskind and Reed Hastings. 

Professor of the Practice Ferrel Guillory, who retires from the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media this December, has made that impact in a five-decade career that has spanned roles as a newspaper journalist, policy strategist and educator. He leaves behind a legacy of award-winning commentary — both in the classroom and on the page — at the intersection of politics, policy and journalism.

A recent UNC Hussman graduate has received one of the highest academic honors in the world. Peter Andringa ’20 was selected on Nov. 21 for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, the world’s oldest international fellowship award. Andringa and Sarah Mackenzie ’20 are Carolina’s 50th and 51st Rhodes Scholars. The scholarship funds study at the University of Oxford in England.

Winners of the 2020 Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC) awards competition were announced this month. In a long and proud tradition for the school, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media walked away with the bulk of this year’s student awards for the region — placing in 11 categories, including a full sweep of every available radio award. Talented graduate Annabeth Poe ’20 took home first place in both the radio feature and radio news reporting categories; and the crackerjack Carolina Connection weekly news team won first place for best student radio newscast. UNC students also owned television’s “Best Student Sports Category” with a first place win for 2019 graduate Cambria Haro and a second place award to 2020 alumna Caroline Bowyer. Hussman also took home first place awards in coveted group television categories for broadcasts by Carolina Week and Sports Xtra teams.