Friday, November 08, 2002

Louisiana dean named 2003 Freedom Forum Journalism Administrator of the Year

ARLINGTON, Va. — John Maxwell "Jack" Hamilton, head of the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University, has been named the Freedom Forum Journalism Administrator of the Year for 2003.

The award recognizes outstanding leadership in the advancement of journalism education. A panel of judges chose Hamilton from nominations submitted to the Freedom Forum.

Hamilton will receive a medal and $10,000, and the Freedom Forum will give an additional $10,000 grant to Louisiana State University. Jack Marsh, director of the Freedom Forum Neuharth Center at the University of South Dakota, will present the award Dec. 7 at the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication (ASJMC) annual meeting in Palo Alto, Calif.

Charles L. Overby, Freedom Forum chairman and chief executive officer, said, “Jack Hamilton has been an enthusiastic champion of professional journalism education, making significant contributions at the local, national and international levels for journalism students as well as those working in the field. We are delighted to recognize his many achievements.”

Hamilton has been head of the Manship School at Louisiana State University since 1994; he had served as director of the school since 1992. Under his leadership, the school has attracted talented faculty from among the top mass communication programs in the country, launched the first and only doctoral degree in the country exclusively devoted to media and public affairs, and started the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs. In 1999 the school was named a center of excellence on the LSU campus. In 1998 Hamilton was named the LSU Hopkins P. Breazeale Foundation Professor. In addition to serving as dean and professor at LSU, Hamilton also has been a commentator for MarketPlace, a Public Radio International program heard by more than 3 million listeners a week. He holds a Ph.D. in American civilization from George Washington University, a master’s degree in journalism from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University.

Hamilton is a leader in journalism education. As director of the Main Street American and the Third World project at the Society of Professional Journalists from 1985 to 1987, Hamilton created a special project to teach local news media how to report on world events. In recent years, he also has conducted journalist training in Belarus, Bosnia, Brazil, Chile, Georgia, India, Jamaica and Russia, and has lectured on issues concerning news media.

Hamilton also has extensive experience as a working journalist. He has reported for the Milwaukee Journal, People, the Christian Science Monitor, The New York Times Magazine and ABC Radio, among others. As a foreign correspondent, he had assignments in more than 50 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. In addition, he has written numerous books, including Hold the Press: The Inside Story on Newspapers (with co-author George Krimsky) and Main Street America and the Third World.

Previous winners of the Freedom Forum Journalism Administrator of the Year award include Richard W. Lee, South Dakota State University; Trevor R. Brown, Indiana University; Jo-Ann Huff Albers, Western Kentucky University; Robert M. Ruggles, Florida A&M University; Terry Hynes and Ralph Lowenstein (retired), University of Florida; Douglas Anderson, when he was at Arizona State University; Reese Cleghorn, University of Maryland; the late Edward P. Bassett, University of Washington; Richard Cole, University of North Carolina; Walter Bunge (retired), Ohio State University; James Carey, formerly of the University of Illinois; and Neal Copple (retired), University of Nebraska.

Media contacts:
Jack Marsh, 605/677-6315
Mike Fetters, 703/284-2895