If you read one thing; Some students and faculty fear Texas A&M's new journalism program will face issues recruiting students and faculty amid the fallout over Kathleen McElroy's botched hiring and the appearance of political interference.
What happened?
McElroy, a prominent Black journalist, was pushed out of negotiations to lead the program because of concerns about her past work at the New York Times and her research in diversity, equity and inclusion. An internal investigation revealed that one Texas A&M University System board member opposed McElroy's hire because he felt it counteracted a previously unstated "purpose" to cultivate right-leaning Aggie journalists.
What are people saying?
Associate professors Tom Burton and Angelique Gammon said the fiasco pointed to larger problems at the top of the university, not in the journalism department. And while some people may be deterred from joining the facility, Gammon said, others will hopefully look past the fiasco and see an opportunity.
What's next?
The Department of Communication & Journalism will reopen its journalism director position this fall with the plan of hiring in time for the spring semester. The department's head, Hart Blanton, will oversee the program in the interim.
The program's direction remains unclear without a director to set an agenda, however. At least one previous iteration of its plans included a focus on bilingual journalism, and Gammon said the support exists to continue that work.
Read Samantha Ketterer's full story on what's next for Texas A&M's journalism program here.
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