EUGENE, Ore. -- (Jan. 10, 2013) -- The University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication has named Stephen Ward director of its Portland operation. He will take charge of the George S. Turnbull Center on July 1.
Ward comes to his new post from the University of Wisconsin’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where he was the director of the Center for Journalism Ethics. He has extensive experience as a journalist and a Ph.D. that focused on media ethics.
"I am excited about joining the talented team at the Turnbull Center and the School of Journalism and Communication,” said Ward. “We live in a fast-evolving media world where, more than ever, we need public discussion, academic study and practical projects to support media in the public interest, and to maintain high media standards."
As a wire-service reporter, Ward covered conflicts in Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Northern Ireland. He served as the British Columbia bureau chief for The Canadian Press news agency and was the founding director of the University of British Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. He has written award-winning books on journalism ethics, writes trade columns on ethics and was the founding chair of the Ethics Advisory Committee of the Canadian Association of Journalists.
“Dr. Ward is a great addition to our program. His expertise will only further elevate the Turnbull Center as a resource for media professionals and for prospective students who endeavor to make their mark on the future of journalism," said Tim Gleason, the Edwin L. Artzt dean of the School of Journalism and Communication. “With his distinguished record in media ethics, he will undoubtedly enhance the work of both Turnbull Center and the School of Journalism and Communication.”
About the George S. Turnbull Center
The center, which operates in the UO Portland’s White Stag Block in downtown Portland, offers master's degrees, professional-development workshops, internships for Eugene undergraduates and public events that illuminate critical media issues. It is an incubator for innovative ideas about the future of journalism and strategic communications and a forum where communication educators, students, researchers, practitioners and citizens mix.
About the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication
The University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC) produces outstanding writers, editors, digital media makers, strategists and critical thinkers by providing a program grounded in ethics, innovation and social responsibility. The SOJC hosts the annual Journalists- and Executives-in-Residence programs, as well annual events including the Ancil Payne Awards for Ethics in Journalism, the Hulteng Conversations in Ethics and the annual Johnston and Ruhl Lectures. The school counts nine Pulitzer Prize winners among its more than 9,000 graduates.
MEDIA CONTACT: Kellee Weinhold: UO School of Journalism and Communication, 541-346-2897, kelleew@uoregon.edu
Note: The University of Oregon is equipped with an on-campus television studio with satellite uplink capacity, and a radio studio with an ISDN phone line for broadcast-quality radio interviews.
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