June 2, 2025 Illinois Student Newsroom at Illinois Public Media members and journalism students Madison Holcomb and Layli Nazarova were named 2024 Mark of Excellence Awards winners in the audio category in their region by the Society of Professional Journalists. SPJ’s Region 5 comprises collegiate journalists within Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. Holcomb, a senior, was […]
May 21, 2025 | Kelly Youngblood Stephanie Lulay’s (BS ’08, journalism) start-up venture, Block Club Chicago—whose mission is to deliver reliable, nonpartisan, and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods—has become a news staple for readers throughout the city since its founding in 2018. Lulay serves as executive editor and co-founder of the award-winning newsroom, which […]
May 14, 2025 | Kelly Youngblood Leon Dash, winner of a Pulitzer Prize and Swanlund Chair Professor of Journalism, sat in his office chair on the third floor of Gregory Hall, appearing calm and collected on his last day of teaching at the College of Media. With 27 years of classroom instruction soon to be […]
May 9, 2025 | Newsweek Stories of the past might be whitewashed, rewritten, or replaced in official spaces, but people’s consciousness of the past can’t be stripped away. Melita Garza, Associate Professor and Tom and June Netzel Sleeman Scholar in Business Journalism In this Newsweek opinion piece, Melita Garza, associate professor and Tom and June […]
Associate Professor Emeritus Affiliations Education Course Specialties Background Former Page 1 and planning editor for Milwaukee Journal, creator and publisher of American Journalism Review / NewsLink website and independent strategic planning consultant to more than 350 news organizations worldwide. Current editor and publisher of three weekly newspapers in Kansas, including Marion County Record, which won […]
Get to know some of our College of Media students! Aaron Anastos is a Class of 2026 dual degree student majoring in journalism and anthropology. What made you choose journalism at Illinois?My older siblings went to Illinois, so I was already familiar with the campus. I started off as an undeclared major but by getting […]
Get to know some of our College of Media Students! Nathan Gonzalez is a class of 2027 journalism major. Why did you choose journalism at the University of Illinois?When my mom gave me my first camera, I became interested in videography and editing. In high school we had a sports broadcasting program where we’d livestream […]
April 29, 2025 Students from the UI7 Newsroom were recently recognized for their outstanding work by both the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Mid-America Chapter, winning two Crystal Pillar awards, and the Student Illinois News Broadcasters Association awards. “Both awards are contested greatly by surrounding schools and programs. Their accomplishments with wins, even […]
April 28, 2025 Nancy Benson, professor emerita of journalism, died on April 21, 2025. She was 72 years old. In 1996, she was hired as a visiting professor in the Department of Journalism and became an assistant professor in 1997. She was promoted to associate professor in 2003 and to full professor in 2014. Before […]
Get to know some of our College of Media students! Brendan Gallian is a Class of 2027 journalism major. Why did you choose journalism at Illinois? After visiting other schools and learning more about the College of Media, I realized Illinois offered opportunities and experiences I wouldn’t find elsewhere, and I became more excited about what […]