New Visiting Professorship in Honor of Pioneering Newswoman

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University is creating a new visiting professorship in journalism ethics in honor of pioneering newswoman Edith Kinney Gaylord. The visiting professorship, which will be filled by a national figure in journalism ethics each spring semester beginning in 2007, is made possible through a generous gift from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation of Oklahoma City. The late Ms. Gaylord started the foundation in 1982 to improve the quality and ethical standards of journalism. Ms. Gaylord, the daughter of Daily Oklahoman Publisher E.K. Gaylord, launched her journalism career at her father’s newspaper in 1937 after graduating from college. In 1942, Ms. Gaylord joined The Associated Press in New York and the following year went to the AP’s Washington bureau, where she covered the Roosevelt administration and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt during World War II. The Cronkite School will receive $120,000 over three years to fund the position. “Edith Kinney Gaylord was an exceptional journalist and community leader who supported projects and organizations that promote the education of journalism professionals, provide students with the opportunity to learn the craft of journalism and give universities the necessary tools to fulfill their journalistic mission,” said Robert J. Ross, president and chief executive officer of the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. “The foundation board is pleased to continue her legacy by funding a visiting professorship in journalism ethics at the Cronkite School, a journalism program dedicated to high quality and ethical standards throughout its curriculum,” Ross said. Dean Christopher Callahan said the Edith Kinney Gaylord Professor will play a critical role as the Cronkite School increases its focus on journalism ethics. “Journalism ethics today is more important than ever,” Callahan said. “For newspapers, television news and online media outlets to survive and thrive, they must improve the bonds of trust between them and their readers and viewers.” “We are indebted to the Ethics and Excellence Foundation for providing us with a great opportunity to help our students focus on these critical issues.” The Edith Kinney Gaylord Visiting Professor of Journalism Ethics will teach and conduct workshops for students, faculty and professional journalists. The Gaylord professor also will work closely with the Joan and David Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics at ASU. The Cronkite School is a nationally recognized program that focuses on professional journalism education at the undergraduate and master’s levels. The school regularly finishes in the Top 10 of the Hearst intercollegiate journalism competitions, and is the home of the Knight Chair in Computer-Assisted Reporting and the Frank Russell Chair in the Business of Journalism.