Peggy Watt

Our department used to be small enough that we all knew each other, but our enrollment is up. Pre-majors and majors are roughly even in number across the three tracks of news/editorial, public relations and visual journalism. The environmental journalism major has come out of hiatus, and we have some EJ students too. The growth is exciting and challenging!

In the past year, I have enjoyed teaching several of my favorite courses: Reporting, Mass Media Law and (in the summer) Klipsun. The increased enrollment justifies offering Klipsun at least every other summer, and the summer staff did wonderful work on the Fall 2018 issue. This year, I’m also teaching an Honors course on the First Amendment. Also, JOUR 350 Mass Media Law is now listed as one of the courses in the “law” track of the Political Science major.

I taught a few workshops for high school journalists at several events last year, including sessions on access laws and intellectual property issues at the national Journalism Education Association in San Francisco. The Washington state group came to Western again last summer for its “J-Camp,” too. Of course, this also introduces Western and its journalism program to prospective students throughout the state.

My ongoing research projects include studying the cost of processing records requests under Washington’s Public Records Act, and looking at effective use of technology to expedite public records requests efficiently and at lower expense. I was able to attend the national Freedom of Information Coalition conference to learn about activities in other states. I’m also working on a study of journalists who go into public office; a generation ago, Washington had numerous publishers and former journalists in the state legislature and other elected positions.

Alumni, please keep in touch! I hope we see some of you at the annual end-of-year journalism department picnic, too.