DePaul University College of Communication

Recognizing their entrepreneurial spirits!

Professors Matt Ragas and Nur Uysal were selected as 2026-2027 Coleman Entrepreneurship Center, DePaul University Fellows! This honor recognizes and supports their desire to incorporate entrepreneurial components into their classrooms. Students benefit from this partnership with an interdisciplinary approach.
Send them your congrats! 🎉

Our Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence Advanced Reporting students are at it again! This time with a powerful investigation published on the NBC Chicago website.

In the wake of two Chicago teen deaths involving rental e-scooters this spring, the Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence Advanced Reporting students dug deep in uncovering gaps in age verification, hearing from families, doctors, and city officials, and raising urgent questions about rider safety.

This is what student journalism looks like when it truly makes an impact. So proud of this team. 🙌

📖 Read the full story here: https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/cost-our-family-everything-parents-sound-alarm-after-teen-deaths-on-e-scooters/3942060/

‘Cost our family everything’: Parents, doctors sound alarm after teen deaths on rental e-scooters Rental e-scooters are growing in popularity across Chicago and the U.S., but after multiple fatal incidents involving children who never should have been able to rent one in the first place, some parents and doctors are sounding the alarm.

The The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations honors Professor Matt Ragas with the 2026 Bruce K. Berger Educator Award, and we can’t think of anyone more deserving!

Matt has dedicated himself to developing the next generation of PR professionals, leaving a lasting mark on the programs and students he’s shaped along the way. As the founding director of the MA in Professional Communication, former academic director of the award-winning PR & Advertising program, and current Graduate Studies Director, his many contributions speak for themselves.

This recognition is a true reflection of Matt's passion, dedication, and commitment to the field. Congratulations! 👏

👉Visit the link to read more: https://plankcenter.ua.edu/?page_id=1078

A decade of 14 East Magazine, celebrated with the people who built it. Former writers and editors traveled from across the country to join the current staff and faculty advisor Amy Merrick to reminisce, connect, and toast the magazine’s 10th anniversary. A decade of award-winning excellence in journalism - congratulations to everyone who’s been part of the journey! 🎉

alum Edwin Darrell (CMN '10) is taking his passion for community and inclusion to the world's biggest stage. 👏

As Senior Manager of Media Village Housing for , Edwin oversees all operational logistics for over 3,000 international media representatives from up to 165 countries attending the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

He credits his time at DePaul and its Vincentian mission with shaping the people-first approach he carries into every role. "It's always been about the mission-driven nature of the work being done." 💙
Read Edwin's full story at the link below: https://www.alumni.depaul.edu/s/1906/19/interior.aspx?sid=1906&gid=2&pgid=4650
📸Photo Credits: DePaul University Alumni

alum Cam Rodriguez (BA '21, MA '22) was part of the team that investigated the warehouse boom reshaping Chicago's suburbs as part of a year-long Local Investigations Fellowship with the New York Times! 🚛

Over the last two decades, retail giants have transformed what was once quiet prairie land into one of the biggest warehouse hubs in the country; driven by the rise of online shopping and next-day delivery.

A incredible piece of journalism from one of our own, also featured in this Sunday's Chicago Sun-Times! Read the full story here:

20,000 Trucks a Day: Life Near a Booming Warehouse Hub Every day, thousands of semi trucks roll in and out of the sprawling warehouse complexes outside Chicago, supporting the rise of next-day delivery. They pummel the roads, belch fumes and cause deadly crashes.

What makes The Pitt such a hotbed for fan "shipping"? Media and Pop Culture Professor Paul Booth says it comes down to a couple of key elements.
Read more in this Variety article to get a deeper understanding of what Booth calls the “one of the oldest fan practices in the book:” https://variety.com/2026/tv/features/the-pitt-online-fans-shipping-no-romance-on-screen-1236728499/

👇 Are you a Pitt fan? Drop your favorite ship in the comments below!

‘The Pitt’ Has No Romance On-Screen. Online, It’s a Different Story Despite HBO medical drama "The Pitt" having little romance, passionate fans have been "shipping" or creating their own couples online.

49 years of the Peter Lisagor Awards and the talent never stops impressing. 🏆
Congratulations to our winners from The DePaulia - DePaul's Student Newspaper, Good Day DePaul, and the CJIE Advanced Reporting class, recognized by the Chicago Headline Club for outstanding work. A special shoutout to Good Day DePaul advisor and adjunct faculty member Sean Keenehan for his well-deserved win, and to Grace Logan, our 2026 Les Brownlee Scholarship recipient.
These talented journalists represent the very best of what we do here at DePaul.
Read more about their achievements: https://www.depaul.edu/news/student-journalism-lisagors-2026

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Four Blue Demons Alumni are now Pulitzer Prize winners!

Congratulations are in order for Jeremy Gorner (LAS ‘04), Claire Malon (CMN ‘21, ‘22), Laura Rodríguez Presa (CMN ‘14) and Richard Requena (CMN ‘20, ‘23) who are part of the team that won journalism’s most prestigious awards. The team won a 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting for their powerful coverage of immigration enforcement activity in the city.

"We could not be prouder of our alumni," says journalism program chair Jason Martin. "Every day they set the example of thorough and ethical reporting.”

Congratulations to the CChicago Tribune

Read more: https://bit.ly/42fAPzb

Read the winning stories on the Tribune site: https://bit.ly/42g0wzA

and the Pulitzer site: https://bit.ly/4toG7DA

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Chicago's journalism community came together on April 23rd to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence (CJIE) and to honor the exceptional recipients of the 2026 Integrity & Excellence Awards.
CJIE recognized the following honorees:

Amy Walter, political analyst and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report, recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Journalist Award.

Haley BeMiller (CMN '14), state government and politics reporter at USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Rick Brown, former professional lecturer and advisor to student media outlet Good Day DePaul, recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Mentor Award.

Before the ceremony, CJIE’s Advanced Reporting students had the unique opportunity to spend exclusive time with the awardees at a private breakfast, a meaningful opportunity to connect students with leaders in the field.

Read more about the day and hear from former CJIE Advanced reporting students on how their time at DePaul shaped their careers.

🔗https://www.depaul.edu/news/cjie-awards-lunch2026?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Sta…

Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence 2026 Award Ceremony Alumni Video: https://youtu.be/yS9ZAL4FSPc

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