Departments School of Journalism - News @ Northeastern

‘We all have the same boundaries’

After an emotional farewell with her mother, Katrina Makayan, a sophomore whose father has recovered from COVID-19, moved back to Northeastern last week. She is grateful that her roommates are as serious as she is about keeping healthy and safe.

by Ian Thomsen September 3, 2020

If it’s trending on social media, he’s probably heard about it

Northeastern graduate Terrence Johnson is co-host of a new YouTube show produced by WGBH, a public media broadcaster in Boston, that features analysis and insights about how social media users are engaging with the social, economic, and cultural issues of the day.

by Khalida Sarwari May 22, 2020

An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. China broadened its unprecedented, open-ended lockdowns to encompass around 25 million people Friday to try to contain a deadly new virus that has sickened hundreds, though the measures' potential for success is uncertain. AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

Does China’s response to the coronavirus outbreak reflect lessons learned from SARS?

Fear of a global pandemic is one of the factors driving China’s surprising decision to shut down airports in the hope of containing a dangerous virus. The Chinese government also appears to be influenced by the failure of its 2002-03 response to the outbreak of SARS, says School of Journalism director Jonathan Kaufman, former China bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal.

by Ian Thomsen January 24, 2020

Bill Weld, former governor of Massachusetts and current candidate for the Republican Party’s 2020 presidential nomination, spoke during the Myra Kraft Open Classroom. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

A long-shot Republican presidential candidate sees a path to the party convention. He’s not dreaming.

If the ongoing impeachment inquiry were to result in the early departure of President Donald Trump, how would his absence affect the 2020 election? “I would become the only guy standing,” said former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld.

by Ian Thomsen November 20, 2019

This Nov. 10, 1989 file photo shows Germans from East and West standing on the Berlin Wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate, one day after the wall opened. Monday, Nov. 9, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. AP Photo/File

30 years ago the Berlin Wall fell. And then Prague happened.

Just after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Jonathan Kaufman, director of Northeastern’s School of Journalism, reported for The Boston Globe from Berlin and Prague. Thirty years later, he reflects on the experience: “History, and people, often surprise you.”

by Molly Callahan November 8, 2019

Zipporah Osei was recognized for her “rich, balanced sourcing” and “expressive language and eye for detail.” Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

She dug deeper, and found her career path

During Zipporah Osei’s five months at the Chronicle of Higher Education, she tackled big topics, such as the tense relations between police and residents in Baltimore, and what happens to students when universities shut down.

by Irvin Zhang November 4, 2019

Walter V. Robinson, editor-at-large at The Boston Globe hosts a conversation with Renee Dudley, a technology reporter at ProPublica; David Fahrenthold, a reporter covering the Trump family and its business interests for The Washington Post; Patricia Wen, the editor of The Boston Globe’s Spotlight team; and Joe Palazzolo, a legal affairs reporter for The Wall Street Journal. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

‘Just make the call, make the call, make the call. Just keep going.’

Businesses that foster the rise of ransomware; the troublesome legacy of an American football star and convicted murderer; President Trump’s payments to his charities: These are some of the subjects investigated by a panel of journalists who shared their stories—and their tricks of the trade—at the latest installment of Northeastern’s series “The Civic Experience.”

by Khalida Sarwari October 28, 2019

U.S. Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, speaks to reporters after a classified members-only briefing on Iran, Tuesday, May 21, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Mitt Romney’s secret Twitter account has a surprisingly harmless explanation

What was the former candidate for president and current U.S. senator doing in the shadows of social media anonymity? He was likely using a proven strategy to avoid the pitfalls of Twitter’s timeline algorithm, says John Wihbey, an assistant professor of journalism and media innovation at Northeastern.

by Molly Callahan October 22, 2019

Here’s a guide to D-Day that helps you navigate the beaches of Normandy

The D-Day Visitor's Handbook: Your Guide to the Normandy Battlefields and WWII Paris, co-authored by Northeastern student and military veteran Kevin Dennehy, offers a coherent guide to one of the world’s most important battlefields.

by Ian Thomsen October 15, 2019

An exhibit that makes you question your reality

At a time when facts are called into question, what provides indisputable truth? Data? Nature? Physical evidence? In Re:Constructing Evidence, a new exhibit at Boston Cyberarts, five Northeastern professors show that it’s never that simple.

by Aria Bracci October 3, 2019