As readers and writers we are concerned with stories–“content” in the parlance of the digital realm–who tells them about whom, how they are told, how they arrive at an audience, and what happens to them when they become “public.” Our journalism program directly engages LMU’s mission of the promotion of justice by critiquing media representations and their immediate social and political impact, and also by exploring the history of social advocacy in both old and new media.

LMU’s Journalism program is housed in the English Department, where the creative and critical pursuits that are the soul of the department’s mission align perfectly with the genre. As a department, we study the history of literature, the craft of writing, and the ethics and politics of representation. New media have brought us the possibility of a democratization of representation, but troubling issues of power and identity endure. Many journalism programs limit the study of “ethics” in their curricula to introductory classes and largely to a discussion of the reporter’s responsibility to the subject. What distinguishes our program is that the ethical discussion suffuses the entire curriculum.

Journalism at LMU is not merely theoretical; we offer hands-on instruction in the reporting, writing, editing, and technological skills that students need to become professional journalists. For more information about the Journalism program, please contact Director Evelyn McDonnell, Evelyn.McDonnell@lmu.edu.