Journalism

Oberlin Alumni in Journalism

Oberlin has long produced outstanding journalists, even before offering the subject as an integrative concentration.

Print, broadcast, digital, writing, editing, production, news, sciences, arts, politics, business, national, local, international…anywhere you look in journalism, there’s a good chance an Obie has made a mark.

Here is a long—but surely incomplete—list of Oberlin alumni in journalism and related fields.

2010s

  • Alice Ollstein ’10 Healthcare reporter, POLITICO
    Reporter, Talking Points Memo, TPM Media LLC
  • Joseph A. Campbell ’11 Video journalist, Thomson Reuters, People’s Republic of China
  • EJ Dickson ’11 Freelance writer, writing for the New York Times, Elle, New York magazine, the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Playboy
  • Kif Leswing ’11 Reporter, CNBC
  • John Light ’11 Managing editor, TPM Media LLC
  • Eilís O'Neill ’11 Reporter, KUOW Public Radio (Seattle)
    Freelance reporter, radio and print
  • Liv Combe ’12 Brand content strategist, NerdWallet
  • Allegra Kirkland ’12 Senior politics editor, Teen Vogue
    Formerly at The Nation and TPM Media
  • Angus Chen ’13 Temporary producer, Hidden Brain, NPR
  • Adiel Kaplan ’13 Investigative reporter, NBC News
  • Emily Kennedy ’13 Editor-in-chief, Edible Vineyard
  • Abigail Collier ’14 Associate producer, CBS This Morning
  • Elizabeth Kuhr ’14 Associate producer, NBC Nightly News
  • Tristan Cimini ’15 Producer, BBC News
    Reporter, WGBH (Boston)
  • Elizabeth Dobbins ’15 Reporter, Lowell Sun (Lowell, MA)
  • Julia Herbst ’15 Staff editor, Work Life, Fast Company
    Freelance writer and editor
  • Zoë Madonna ’15 Music critic and reporter, the Boston Globe
  • Anna Menta ’15 Senior film reporter, Decider.com
  • Jeremy Reynolds ’15 Classical music critic and reporter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • Leila Miller ’16 Mexico City correspondent, Los Angeles Times
  • Jack Brewster ’18 Enterprise editor, NewsGuard
    Founder and CEO, Newsreel

2000s

  • Samantha Gross ’00 Storyteller, journalist, content strategist, newsroom innovator, freelancer
    Founder and editor-in-chief, Storytour
  • Kate Julian ’00 Senior editor, The Atlantic
  • David Tamarkin ’00 Digital director, Epicurious at Condé Nast
  • Ben Calhoun ’01 Editor, This American Life, Serial Productions
  • Liz Heron ’01 Member, board of directors, Coda Story
    Strategic advisor, the Independent
  • Bill Lascher ’02 Freelance journalist, author of Eve of 100 Nights
  • John Byrne ’03 Founder & CEO, Raw Story Media
    Owner of AlterNet Media
  • Chana Joffe-Walt ’03 Reporter/producer, This American Life
  • Channing Joseph ’03 Independent journalist, the New York Times, the Guardian, MTV, Truthdig
  • Sarah Kate Kramer ’03 Producer, Radio Diaries
  • Catharine Richert ’03 Senior reporter, Minnesota Public Radio
  • Matt Vella ’03 Former executive editor, TIME magazine
    Previously at Fortune, BusinessWeek, and the Wall Street Journal
  • Stephanie Beasley ’04 Transportation security reporter, POLITICO
  • Ariella Cohen ’04 Managing editor, WHYY’s PlanPhilly
  • Molly Samuel ’04 Environment reporter, WABE (Atlanta)
  • Sanden Totten ’04 Producer of networked journalism and innovation, The Public Insight Network
  • William Weisbrod ’05 North American middle market senior reporter, Debtwire
  • Jennarose “Jenna” Weiss-Berman ’05 Co-founder and owner, Pineapple Street Media
  • Drew Grant ’06 On-air personality, Trivia Schmoedown
    Entertainment consultant, Videodrew
  • Lucia Graves ’07 Columnist and features writer, the Guardian
  • Joshua Keating ’07 Senior editor, Slate
    Author of Invisible Countries
  • David Unger ’07 Energy editor, the Christian Science Monitor
    Designer and writer
  • Emma Dumain ’08 Congressional correspondent, McClatchy
  • Michelle Broder Van Dyke ’08 Freelance Hawaii reporter, NBC News, the Guardian, Gizmodo, the New York Times
  • Rani Molla ’08 Data editor, Recode
  • Nana Efua Mumford ’08 Executive assistant to the editorial board, the Washington Post
  • Amanda (Van Allen) Rivera ’09 Reporter, WEWS-TV (Cleveland)
  • Virginia K. Smith ’09 Managing editor, Lifehacker, Gizmodo Media Group
  • Sophia Yan ’09 China correspondent, the Telegraph, Beijing, China

1990s

  • Nicholas Blechman ’90 Art director, the New York Times
  • Chris Broussard ’90 NBA senior writer and analyst, ESPN
  • Lisa Phillips ’90 Associate professor, digital media and journalism, SUNY New Paltz
    Freelance journalist, writer
  • Sonia Shah ’90 Science journalist and author, Bloomsbury USA
  • Amy Alipio ’91 Senior editor, National Geographic Traveler
  • Ching-Ching Ni ’91 Editor-in-chief, the New York Times Chinese website
  • Daniel Radosh ’91 Senior writer, the Daily Show with Trevor Noah
    Contributor, The New Yorker
  • Ben Wittes ’91 Senior fellow in governance studies, The Brookings Institution
    Co-founder and editor-in-chief, Lawfare
    Contributing writer, the Atlantic
    Law analyst, NBC News and MSNBC
  • Michelle Malkin ’92 Media Pundit
  • Dade Hayes ’93 New York business editor, Deadline Hollywood
    Book author, HarperCollins Publishers
  • Linda Holmes ’93 Host, NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour
  • Chris L. Jenkins ’93 Editor, the Washington Post
  • John Kearney ’93 Writer and researcher, self-employed
  • Joshua Rothkopf ’93 Film editor, senior film critic, Time Out New York
  • Donovan Hohn ’94 Author, essayist and editor
  • David Milstead ’94 Institutional investment reporter, the Globe and Mail (Toronto)
  • Nicholas (Nick) Riccardi ’94 Western political writer, Associated Press
  • Bill Scher ’94 Contributing Editor, Politico Magazine
  • Alix Spiegel ’94 Reporter, National Public Radio
  • Gregory Stroud ’94 Editor-in-chief, Connecticut Examiner
  • Michael Zapler ’94 Deputy managing editor, senior congressional editor, POLITICO
  • Jad Abumrad ’95 Host and producer, National Public Radio: Radiolab, WNYC
  • Greg Munno ’95 Assistant professor at Newhouse School, Syracuse University
    Owner, Greg Munno Consulting
  • Ben Shaw ’95 Communications manager for Sustainability & Foundation, Autodesk
  • Amy Brown ’97 Story producer, The Zoo (Animal Planet), Left Right
  • Geoff Mulvihill ’97 Correspondent, the Associated Press, AP New Jersey
  • Sonya Fatah ’98 Assistant professor, Ryerson School of Journalism
    Former freelance journalist (South Asia)
  • Andrew LaVallee ’98 Deputy editor, the New York Times
  • Janet Paskin ’98 Editor, Bloomberg News
    Editor, Businessweek.com
    Assistant managing editor, Bloomberg Businessweek
  • Hanna Raskin ’98 Food editor and chief critic, the Post & Courier (Charleston, SC)

1980s

  • Michael Duffy ’80 Deputy op-ed editor, the Washington Post
  • Jeff Lunden ’80 Arts reporter, National Public Radio news magazines
  • Mark Nelson ’80 Senior director, Center for International Media Assistance at the National Endowment for Democracy
  • R.B. Brenner ’81 Journalism lecturer, Stanford University
  • Jocelyn Ford ’81 Honorary professor at Chongqing University of Post and Telecommunications
    Independent documentary filmmaker
  • Nancy Giles ’81 Contributor, CBS Sunday Morning
    Actor, comedian
  • Cate Hewitt ’81 Senior Reporter, Connecticut Examiner
  • Josh Hyatt ’81 Manager, senior writer, U.S. CFO Program, Deloitte LLP
  • Andrea Rothman ’81 Aviation correspondent, Bloomberg News
  • Ben Stocking ’81 Seattle freelance writer
  • Glenn Daigon ’82 Freelance journalist, The Progressive and WhoWhatWhy
  • David Greene ’82 Producer, editor, National Public Radio: Car Talk
  • David Jackson ’82 Senior editor, the Chicago Tribune
  • Marc Sandalow ’82 Associate academic director, University of California Washington Center
  • David Schlesinger ’82 Former global editor-in-chief, Reuters news agency
  • Melanie Eversley ’83 Freelance writer, Fortune, TheGrio.com, NBC News
  • Beth Fouhy ’83 Senior editor, politics, NBC News and MSNBC
  • Darcy Frey ’83 Freelance author and magazine writer
    Director, creative writing program, Harvard University
  • Jon Hamilton ’83 Science correspondent, National Public Radio
  • Peggy Orenstein ’83 Contributing writer, New York Times Magazine
     Writer, author, self employed
  • Tim Riley ’83 Associate professor of journalism, Emerson College
    Author, speaker, pianist, blog timrileyauthor.com
    National Public Radio critic, WBUR: Here and Now
  • Tony Robinson ’83 Editor, Bloomberg Business News
  • Lisa Miller ’84 Contributing editor, New York magazine
  • Peter Miller ’84 Self-employed documentary filmmaker, Willow Pond Films
  • Jane Pratt ’84 Editor-in-chief, xojane.com, Time Inc.
    Founding editor of Sassy and Jane magazines
  • Aaron Zitner ’84 Editor, U.S. politics, the Wall Street Journal
  • Paul Schwartzman ’85 Reporter, the Washington Post
  • Amy Worden ’85 Freelance contributor, the Washington Post
    Adjunct Faculty in Journalism, Dickinson College
    Former politics reporter, the Philadelphia Inquirer
  • Lisa Abend ’86 Journalist, author
    Freelancer, TIME magazine
  • David Austin ’86 Interim public information manager, City of Portland
  • Geoffrey Brewer ’86 Editorial director, Gallup Press
  • Hillarie Sheets ’86 Freelance writer, editor
  • Kim France ’87 Founding editor, Lucky magazine
    Founder, Girls of a Certain Age
  • Jacob E. Heilbrunn ’87 Editor, The National Interest
  • Martin Moe ’87 President, Vox Media Studios
    Co-founder of The Verge
    Co-founder of Polygon
  • Joe Richman ’87 Founder and executive producer, National Public Radio: Radio Diaries
  • George Bundy Smith Jr. ’87 News anchor, WKOW-ABC 27 (Wisconsin)
  • Richard Stradling,’87 Reporter, Raleigh News & Observer
  • Peter Baker ’88 Senior White House correspondent, the New York Times
    Political analyst, MSNBC
  • Felice Belman ’88 Deputy politics editor, Boston Globe
  • Emily Nussbaum ’88 Writer, The New Yorker
  • Doyle Rice ’88 Weather, science, climate, space reporter, USA Today
  • Anne Trubek ’88 Author and publisher
  • Alex Blumberg ’89 Podcast businessman, Gimlet Media
    Co-founder of the This American Life/NPR co-production Planet Money

1970s

  • Michael Dirda ’70 Columnist, Washington Post’s Book World
    1993 Pulitzer Prize winner
  • Doug McInnis ’70 Freelance, public records search specialist
  • Philip Elmer-Dewitt ’71 Editor-in-chief, Apple 3.0
  • Toby McIntosh ’71 Resource center director, Global Investigative Journalism Network
  • Laura Palmer ’72 Author, freelance writer
  • Greg Patton ’72 Sports columnist, the Press-Enterprise
  • Jennifer Siebens ’72 Freelance, media veteran
    Formerly vice president & executive producer, CBS News
  • Bob Drogin ’73 Deputy bureau chief, Washington, Los Angeles Times
  • Cathy Shaw ’73 News editor, National Public Radio
  • Paul Brown ’74 Consultant, Teaching Empathy Institute
    Journalist, musician, producer, editor, consultant
  • Tom Hamburger ’74 Reporter, the Washington Post
  • Pamela J. Hines, Ph.D. ’74 Senior editor, Science magazine
  • Steve Katz ’74 Publisher, Mother Jones
  • Carol Matlack ’74 Correspondent, Bloomberg Business Week Paris bureau
  • Jonathan Bor ’75 Senior editor, correspondent, Health Affairs
  • Melissa Fay Greene ’75 Author, freelance journalist
    Kirk Distinguished Writer-in-Residence, Agnes Scott College
  • Bill Hogan ’75 Editor, MHQ – The Quarterly Journal of Medical History
  • James M. Keller ’75 Program annotator, cultural journalist, New York Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Edward Marks ’75 Culture editor, the New York Times
  • Ferdinand Protzman ’75 Chief of staff, president’s office, Oberlin College
    Formerly reporter for Associated Press, Dow Jones, International Herald Tribune, the New York Times, the Washington Post, National Geographic Books
    ARTnews contributing editor, author, and translator
  • Cathy Sunshine ’75 Freelance editor, writer, translator
  • Richard Lee Colvin ’76 Communications consultant
  • Patrice Hill ’76 Chief economics correspondent, the Washington Times
  • Fred Kaplan ’76 Columnist, Slate
  • Steve N. Burkholder ’77 Staff correspondent, Bloomberg BNA
  • Norman Green ’77 Self-employed writer, journalist, director, and producer
  • Steve Maas ’77 Writer, editor, freelancer
  • Scott Maier ’77 Professor, University of Oregon School of Journalism
  • Elizabeth Schmidt '77 Professor Emeritus of History, Loyola University Maryland
    Freelance journalist specializing in African politics
  • James Segelstein ’77 Producer, CNBC
  • Michael Doyle ’78 Reporter, E&E News
  • Tom Rosenstiel ’78 Executive director, author, journalist, media critic and researcher, American Press Institute
  • Kathy Schalch ’78 Freelance journalist
  • Frank Bajak ’79 Cybersecurity investigations, Associated Press
  • Chris Ball ’79 Managing editor, FreshWater Cleveland
  • Bonnie DeSimone Ford’79 Journalist, ESPN.com
  • Hope Keller ’79 Editor, writer
  • Adam Moss ’79 Editor-in-chief, New York magazine
  • Hal Straus ’79 General manager, Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
  • Hendrik Sybrandy ’79 Correspondent for CGTN America (China television)

1960s

  • Jon Margolis,’62 Former chief political correspondent, the Chicago Tribune
    Author of The Last Innocent Year: America in 1964
  • Dennis Redmont ’62 Head of communications, media and development, The Council for the United States and Italy
    Former director for the Mediterranean area, Associated Press
    Professor, RAI School of Journalism, Perugia, Italy
  • William Schechner ’63 DVD producer/reporter, formerly with NBC News
  • John Vinocur ’63 Columnist, former EIC at New York Times International
  • Robert Kuttner ’65 Co-founder, co-editor The American Prospect
  • Ted Gest ’68 President, Criminal Justice Journalists
  • Robert Krulwich ’69 New York Public Radio: Radiolab
  • Peter Martyn ’69 Journalism analyst, Peter Martyn Consulting
  • Robert Weiner ’69 President, Robert Weiner Associates
    Columnist, journalist, pundit

To update a listing, please contact the Office of Communications at communications@oberlin.edu.