UConn Journalism

08/24/2026

This summer, the UConn Journalism Department hosted 14 talented high school students for a week of learning all about multimedia journalism as part of the UConn Pre-College Summer Program. They produced this multimedia story about the J. Robert Donnelly Husky Heritage Sports Museum. Thanks to curator Mike Enright for the tour and to instructors Kate Farrish and Patrick Raycraft for teaching the students the week of June 22. Tikeyah Whittle, Associate Professor-in-Residence Julie Sprengelmeyer Serkosky and Associate Prof. Marie Shanahan provided valuable assistance as well. Way to go, students!

Sto­ry, pho­tos and videos by the 2026 UConn Pre-Col­lege Sum­mer Mul­ti­me­dia Jour­nal­ism Stu­dent Team: Isabel-Noel Andoh, Cora Aitken­head, Brielle Broomes, Sarah Brown, Jay­lani Clau­dio, Amelia Forde, Jay­den Hardy, Katie McWhin­nie, Majesty-Alex­is Moore, Belle Mungavin, Deli...

08/07/2026

Congratulations to UConn Journalism May graduate Earvin Adjei on being named the 2026 Southern New England Association of Black Journalists' Emerging Journalist of the Year and recipient of the Presidents’ Scholarship.
After interning at NBC Connecticut, Earvin has begun his journalism career at WTNH News 8, where he is a digital assignment editor.

He writes on LinkedIn that he is excited for the opportunity to be able to the 2026 National Association of Black Journalists Convention & Career Fair in Atlanta.

08/03/2026

UConn Journalism major Kitan Arole finished in the top 20 nationally in the prestigious national Hearst Journalism Audio Competition for college students for her podcast story, "Crowned and Proud." She also earned an honorable mention in NPR's College Podcast Challenge.
In her podcast, Kitan spoke with Black female students to hear their stories of the microagressions they have faced about their natural hair and the barriers they combat in order to get hair care.
Here she speaks about the story with Bylines New Voices host Brian Scott-Smith. Give it a listen here: https://ctcommunitynews.substack.com/p/reporter-kitan-arole-on-crowned-and?utm_source=podcast-email&publication_id=5480416&post_id=209598065&utm_campaign=email-play-on-substack&utm_content=listen_now_button&r=8cgin&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

07/24/2026

Briana Ortiz, a May UConn Journalism graduate, has been named as an NBC Universal Emerging Producer Fellow and is attending the National Association of Hispanic Journalists national conference and expo in New Orleans this week. Congratulations, Briana!

07/23/2026

Many of our UConn Journalism students are doing interesting internships this summer, including Kaden Knapp, who let us know that he has enjoyed working on FOX Sports' coverage of the World Cup this summer as an intern in Los Angeles. He passed along more good news: he'll be interning with the TODAY show at NBC in the fall.
Here's a shot of Kaden and of the FOX Sports' World Cup control room.

07/14/2026

Read all about our own UConn Journalism Prof. Steven G. Smith’s “We the People” project here.

07/13/2026

If you missed UConn Journalism Department Head Marie Shanahan speaking about the future of journalism at The Westport Library on June 25, you can now watch the entire event, which was sponsored by the Connecticut Mirror, here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/MRd14Z1D3K4?is=lY904amgiyrNbf3e
Prof. Shanahan, who soon will be teaching a new course on news literacy that will be open to non-journalism majors, said the internet is a free-for-all, so each person has to be sure they are skeptical of the news people are sharing on social media.
"You are responsible for your information diet," she said. "You need to be a good critical thinker."
She pointed out a recent study that found that states with a higher concentration of local journalists had a lower level of loneliness among its residents. She said new outlets could respond by writing more human interest feature stories in their communities to connect readers.
"We're all so isolated, looking at our phones..., so maybe that's a good selling point for local news," she said.
The conversation was moderated by John Dankosky, the CT Mirror's director of events, and it featured Richard Tofel, the founding general manager of ProPublica, who served as its president from 2013 to 2021. The Mirror and ProPublica recently won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting for their series on predatory towing practices in Connecticut.
David Fales photo

07/10/2026

Important story from Dan Haar in CT Insider on ICE agents or sympathizers appearing to pose as journalists during recent operations in Danbury, quoting Professor Amanda Jane Crawford.

"This is a reality-TV-show president... And it sounds to me like they were making a reality TV show," Amanda Crawford said.

07/10/2026

Photojournalist Patrick Raycraft, a UConn Journalism lecturer, will have an opening reception tonight, July 10, at Five Points Annex at 15 Water St. in Torrington from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
His personal photographs taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, are part of a show, "Corals and Color: Ripples of Hope" that also features the watercolors and oil paintings of Katti Ritzenhoff and the textile art of Michal Ayalon.