UConn Journalism

10/15/2026

Congratulations to Associate Prof. Amanda Jane Crawford and a group of her students who recently received a Provost's Award for their comprehensive journalism project, "The Balance of Power: Trump's Second Term and Connecticut." The project produced news stories on immigration, executive power, education and the effects of President Donald J. Trump's actions on communities in Connecticut.
Their articles were published by major news sources, including CT Community News, the Hartford Courant, CT Examiner, WSHU and Connecticut Public.
Prof. Crawford and her student Christi Thrower, at center and right, received the award from Christopher Ciarcia, UConn's associate director of outreach and engagement.

10/14/2026

See retired UConn Journalism Prof. Steven G. Smith's amazing photos from across the United States in the latest edition of UConn Magazine.
Here's the cover photo he made called, "The British are Coming," of an exhausted reenactor who had been marking the 250th anniversary of the battle of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts on April 19, 2025.
As a 2025 Andrew Carnegie fellow, Smith has traveled to 42 states for his project, "These United States." He is hoping to capture the humanity and diversity of Americans in the project, which will include a photography book, museum exhibitions and a digital multimedia experience.
"It is such a negative time right now politically, I just wanted to bring it back to humanity," he told UConn Magazine.
A Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, Smith said he has been patiently capturing meaningful moments in his travels.
"I'm drawn to moments of contrast and quiet irony, where history and daily life meet," Smith, who retired this past summer, said.

10/13/2026

Lecturer and photojournalist Patrick Raycraft will be speaking in Hartford on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. at the UConn-Hartford campus about his decades of covering the capital city's Latino community.
The talk by Raycraft, a former longtime photographer for the Hartford Courant, is being held from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Hartford Times Building Room 145. Parking is available in nearby garages. His appearance will mark the close of Hispanic Heritage Month.

10/12/2026

Connecticut forester Dan Evans shares his expertise with Associate Prof. Scott Wallace’s Environmental Journalism students on a recent visit to the James L Goodwin State Forest in Hampton, Connecticut.

10/08/2026

Seven UConn Journalism students and two professors heard inspirational speeches on Oct. 7 about the importance of government transparency and using the state Freedom of Information Act at the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government's fifth annual Mitchell W. Pearlman FOI Awards reception. They got to meet Mark Twain, too.
Lecturer Patrick Raycraft, Maleena Muzio, Dannan Page, Thaddeus Sawyer, Pierce Colfer, Jake McCreven, Katie Servas, Kitan Arole and Prof. Kate Farrish
As CFOG's president, Prof. Farrish led the event, which honored journalist Ginny Monk, public official Matthew Reed, attorneys Mark J. Sommaruga and Aaron S. Bayer and Yale Law scholar Jamie P. Horsley.
Photos by Aimee Crawford and Sam Smink

10/07/2026

In a visit to Prof. Scott Wallace's Global Press Freedom class on Oct. 6, renowned Bangladeshi photojournalist and activist Dr. Shahidul Alam urged the students to work for a better world rather than pursuing individual honors.
Prof. Wallace will once again be teaching the course, which is cross-listed with Human Rights, in the Spring 2027 semester.

10/05/2026

At the national Society of Professional Journalists conference in Columbus, Ohio this weekend, Kate Farrish, a UConn Journalism assistant professor-in-residence, described the work of the Connecticut Student Journalism Collaborative at a session on academic and newsroom partnerships. With support from Richard Watts, the founder of the Center for Community News in Vermont, she and professors from around the state co-founded the collaborative in 2023 to see the best student journalism produced in their classes published professionally. It is now a nonprofit that publishes student work at CT Community News on Substack. A number of news outlets in the state, including Connecticut Public, the Connecticut Mirror, Hartford Courant, The Day, CTNewsJunkie, WSHU and CT Examiner, regularly republish many of the students' stories.
With Richard Watts. Photo by Cliff Anthony
Video by Todd Franko of the Center for Community News

09/29/2026

Read all about JCrumb, the newest celebrity at UConn, and he doesn't play basketball.
Thaddeus Sawyer's story and photos are the latest to be published at CT Community News as part of the Connecticut Student Journalism Collaborative. It was founded in 2023 by professors Marie Shanahan, Julie Serkosky, Kate Farrish, Harriet Jones and journalism professors around the state to see their best work published.
The collaborative is now a non-profit that accepts donations to keep publishing the strong journalism of students like Thaddeus. See details here: https://buy.stripe.com/3cIbJ11MdeAd2pn3uz08g00

https://ctcommunitynews.substack.com/p/meet-jcrumb-the-newest-big-shot-on?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=5480416&post_id=217843773&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=8cgin&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

Known for wearing suits and singing karaoke, he’s going viral and even signing autographs for other undergrads at UConn Storrs

09/28/2026

The student-run chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists that is affiliated with the UConn Journalism Department is off to a great start after its first meeting of the semester. They're planning networking events with our alumni and other journalists this fall led by President Katie Servas, front right; Vice President Mikayla Bunnell, front left; Treasurer Samantha Brody, second from right, and social media chair Maleena Muzio.
Photo by Maleena

09/26/2026

The UConn Journalism Department was well-represented by four grads at the state Freedom of Information Commission’s FOI conference on Sept. 25. Prof. Kate Farrish welcomed the crowd of 230 people on behalf of the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government. Michael Savino, the political reporter at NBC Connecticut and a CFOG board member, gave the keynote address on how he has used the FOI Act to tell compelling stories, and Russell Blair, the commission’s director of education and communications, was an able master of ceremonies.
Photo of Kate by Marie Shanahan, another grad and professor in the department.