The roots and fruits of African American humor have been studied from various perspectives. In September, co-authors, Drs. Mia Moody-Ramirez and Jannette Dates added a new book to the fray titled, “From Blackface to Black Twitter: Reflections on Black Humor, Race, Politics, and Gender" (Peter Lang, 2018).

Baylor journalism faculty, Dr. Mia Moody-Ramirez and Dr. Marlene Neill, presented research, served on various panels and were presented with prestigious awards at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. Aug. 6-9.

Sept. 10, 2018
Tom Kennedy, B.A. (Journalism) ’68, is among six former Gainesville (TX) High School students who will be honored as Distinguished Alumni Sept. 22 as part of homecoming weekend festivities. Kennedy earned a track scholarship to Baylor and served as editor of The Baylor Lariat during his senior year. He graduated as Distinguished Journalism Graduate and went to work for UPI and later at The Houston Post, where he was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1978. He retired after serving as director of marketing for the Houston Community College System.

The Arthur W. Page Center has picked two scholars to become the organization’s first research fellows. The two seasoned faculty members will conduct projects over the next two years that will conclude with white papers, in addition to academic publications and/or publications.

The two scholars, Marlene Neill, Baylor University, and Diana Sisson, Auburn University, have had a long history with the Page Center. They have produced top-notch, award-winning research through past Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar Grants. With this new endeavor, they will further examine important topics within the communications field.

Aug. 29, 2018
Nationally known advocate for diversity in journalism, Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., professor of journalism, graduate program director and director of American studies in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences, is a guest on Gemma Holmes' Living Your Best Life podcast to discuss racial stereotyping and Baylor’s progress in diversity. Moody-Ramirez was recently awarded the Lionel Barrow Jr. Award for Distinguished Achievement in Diversity Research and Education by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

August 1, 2018
Meredith Aldis, B.A. (Journalism) '18, is the latest addition to the FOX34 team. Aldis is the Look Around Lubbock reporter on Good Day Lubbock. Her passion for sharing news started in high school and carried on into college, where she worked for the Baylor Lariat, was on the college broadcast team and interned at KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Since June, Baylor journalism alumnus and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has met with President Trump and other American leaders in Washington, D.C., Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Charly Edsitty, B.A. (Journalism) ‘09, has joined KTRK-TV, the ABC affiliate in Houston, as a multi-media journalist. Edsitty started her career at KPNX-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, as a planning producer, then was promoted to a reporting role in the station’s Northern Arizona bureau. A member of the Navajo tribe, she started her journalism career working in print specializing in Native American issues.

The Baylor Lariat, Baylor University’s campus newspaper, has added to its long list of awards by being named the best student newspaper in Texas by the Houston Press Club as part of its 2018 Lone Star Awards.

WACO, Texas (June 12, 2018) – Award-winning author Donna M. Johnson will present the 2018 Werlin Lecture at 2 p.m. Friday, June 22, in room 101 of the Castellaw Communications Center at Baylor University. The Werlin Lecture is free and open to the public as part of the 2018 Press Women of Texas Conference.

WACO, Texas (May 29, 2018) – Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., professor of journalism, graduate program director and director of American studies in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences, has been named as one of nine Institute for Diverse Leadership (IDL) in Journalism and Communication fellows, a program through the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

The Society of Professional Journalists named Focus Magazine's “Rebuild” issue the Best Student Magazine in America.

“Am I enough?” It’s a question many people — especially many women — ask themselves their entire lives. “Am I pretty enough? Smart enough? Successful enough? Good enough?” Having battled such questions herself, Baylor senior Grace Valentine has found answers in God’s word — enough to compile into a book, and written in such a way …

Arkansas sports writer and Baylor alumnus David McCollum died Monday after heart surgery in North Little Rock. He was 68. McCollum covered Olympic Games and NCAA championships but was best known for writing about local athletes for nearly four decades at the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway.

WACO, Texas (April 26, 2018) — Dallas senior Corrie Coleman has been selected to receive the 2018 journalism scholarship from the Bess Whitehead Scott Scholarship Fund. Coleman will receive $2,000 toward her degree in journalism, which includes studies in writing, photography and videography.

April 24, 2018
VIDEO: In this interview, Grace Valentine, a senior journalism major from Florida, discusses the inspiration and motivation behind her book, “Am I Enough?” The book, published by Thomas Nelson and available in stores in July, is the result of a movement – the Enough Movement – Valentine launched via her blog, which has garnered more than 6 million readers. “One of my goals when I began writing was to just be the person I needed when I struggled with insecurity and when I felt down,” she said. “It’s been a great tool where I’ve been able to lift God up and praise him through this platform.”

April 24, 2018
Rebecca Potter, B.A. (Journalism and Political Science) ‘90, a publications advisor at Texas High School in Texarkana, has received the Texas Trailblazer Award from the Texas Association of Journalism Educators.

When people think of Baylor journalism alumni, thoughts often turn to those working as reporters for newspapers and television stations or serving as public relations officers for corporations and nonprofits. But others are succeeding in careers in photography and videography, one of the four sequences that students can study while majoring in journalism.

Photographer Jill Broussard and Associate Producer for “Fixer Upper,” Constance Atton, spoke very highly of their experiences at Baylor and their professors who pushed them to where they have gotten to today.

Tucked away in the Castellaw Communications Center at Baylor, a new tradition for journalism students has begun. For the first time in the history of the Baylor Lariat, a new television broadcast has been introduced.

The newscast, “Lariat TV News Today,” allows the journalism students to gain real-world experience of working as anchors, reporters and script-writers for a television newscast.

The spring semester is always such a special time as we celebrate the accomplishments of our senior class and wish them the best as they begin their careers. This year’s senior class represents the largest one in Baylor history, and while they will be missed, we are encouraged by the frequent campus visits we’ve been experiencing from students who aspire to be the next great class of journalists to graduate from Baylor.

“There will be no passive watching tonight,” Dr. Tammy Kernodle said, as she led her audience in a rhythmic clapping exercise that set the tone for the night, as she encouraged them to join her on a journey that chronicled the role of female musicians in the Civil Rights Movement.

This year, which marks her 17th year of teaching, Dr. Mia Moody-Ramirez has been recently promoted from associate to full professor. Anyone who has ever met Dr. Moody-Ramirez knows her passion for people. Her tenacity for knowledge, her desire for diversity, and her ambition do what is right magnetically energizes the Baylor Journalism, Public Relations & New Media Department.

April 6, 2018
#BaylorLights profile of Kristen Boyd, B.A. (Journalism) ’10, M.S.W. ’12, M.Div. (Theology) ’14, who serves as coordinator of student recruitment at Baylor's Truett Seminary. Boyd serves students at an intersection of decisions that will shape their future. “I grew to love visiting with prospective students about their calling and where God might be leading them. I was listening to them listen to God,” she said. “At Truett I learned how to ask thoughtful questions about the deep things of faith in a sacred space, and I can’t help but hope that other students can experience something similar.”

The Baylor Journalism, Public Relations and New Media department has produced a plethora of successful professionals who are employed throughout the U.S., including three alumnae who recently spoke about their journey from Baylor to New York City.