Associate editor of The New York Times Richard G. Jones has been appointed the Annenberg Director of the Gallivan Program in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy, the University announced in a press release Tuesday.
Jones worked as a visiting faculty member at New York University and the University of Delaware, and has taught journalism at Rutgers University, American University and the University of Maryland.
As an associate editor at the New York Times, Jones is in charge of the newsroom’s summer internship program and two-week professional development program for collegiate members of the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Harold and Martha Welch Professor of American Studies and chair of the department Thomas Tweed said Jones’s experience is valuable for a professor of journalism in today’s media landscape.
“Rich Jones has the experience and vision to prepare Notre Dame students to meet the changing demands of journalism today,” Tweed said in a statement. “And a strong journalism program is crucial, since a vibrant democracy depends on a free and fair press.”
Jones said he is excited to take on this responsibility as head of the department and looks forward to joining the University in his new role.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Notre Dame family, and I am honored to be entrusted with the leadership of the Gallivan Program,” Jones said in the press release. “I want to continue to ensure that our students graduate from the program with the best values of this great university, and also with the preparation that they need to have impactful careers as digital journalists.”
Jones’s work on a yearlong investigation into the failings of New Jersey’s child welfare system was also nominated for a Pulitzer Prize by editors at the New York Times. His experience as a reporter, Jones said, will help him prepare students to enter the world of professional journalism today.
“Our students are entering a world in which they must be adept at understanding digital technology, and they must also have the journalistic principles and judgment to be able to combat allegations of ‘fake news,’” he said in the press release. “I will make sure that they are ready to do both.”
