After spending the 2022 academic year at ASU as a Hubert H. Humphrey fellow, Hyuntaek “Tag” Lee returned to his home country of South Korea, where he worked as a journalist at The Chosun Daily and a lecturer at Yoonseyoung Journalism School at Ewha Womans University. He soon realized he wanted to come back to Cronkite—this time, to earn a mid-career master’s in mass communication.
Fascinated by the Cronkite School’s hands-on “teaching hospital” model, Lee wanted to study mass communication from a teacher’s perspective to improve both his pedagogy and his own journalism. His favorite experience? Cronkite’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, an immersive capstone-level course in which students learn by working on in-depth reporting projects.
Lee is set to receive the Outstanding Graduate Student award at Cronkite Convocation; ahead of that, he discussed with us his time at Cronkite and what’s next.
Note: The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Question: Why did you choose ASU?
Lee: ASU has a very good reputation for innovation, a good stage for students to learn and work together, and it has immersive experiences. ASU also has great, legendary reporters on the faculty: We have Emmy winner Mark Greenblatt, and Pulitzer winner Angela Hill. They are not only educators but also personal mentors. It is easy to get hands-on mentoring from legendary journalists. I thought ASU would be the best place to define myself from a mere practitioner to a practice-based educator. It’s the perfect place for me.
Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?
A: Dr. Hazel Kwon impressed me with her research in media and misinformation. Some misinformation and disinformation can be targeted at specific ethnicities, so ethnic media can play a role in verifying ethnic and racial contexts in stories and correcting other journalists’ biases.
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?
A: ASU is a very inclusive university. The charter says the university is not measured by who it excludes, but by who it includes. My master’s cohort was very inclusive and helpful. If I approach them and ask for some advice, their answer is mine, as well as theirs. If future students come to ASU, they should be active and ask every single mentor or cohort to gather knowledge and insights for us all to enjoy.
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: I’m returning to my newsroom in January, and I teach in South Korea too, but I’m thinking about developing my career as an educator.
Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?
A: I want to make a center for global journalism. There are many countries where improving journalism is very necessary and essential, but because of a lack of resources, it is a little hard to attain. With that massive amount of money, I’d establish a center, share knowledge and train the next generation.