"The Next Journalism: How The Press Must Change To Serve Democracy"

“The Next Journalism: How The Press Must Change To Serve Democracy”

A Zoom Conversation with Journalist Tom Rosenstiel ’78
Moderated by Ted Gest ’68

Monday, November 9, 2026
7:00-8:00 p.m. (US Eastern)

In his new book, The Next Journalism, veteran Washington journalist Tom Rosenstiel ’78 argues that the survival of democracy depends on reinventing the press, and he suggests 10 reforms to help journalism better serve the public. In Rosenstiel’s view, the current crisis in journalism reflects a crisis in American democracy. Tom says faith in news outlets has dwindled and he proposes a practical framework for rebuilding a press that empowers citizens instead of alienating them. 

Join us for an informative program whose audience will include students enrolled in Oberlin’s “integrative concentration” in journalism.

Tom Rosenstiel ’78 is a Professor of the Practice and the Eleanor Merrill Scholar on the Future of Journalism at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. He is the author of 12 books, including four novels. The book co-authored with Bill Kovach, The Elements of Journalism: What News People Should Know and the Public Should Expect, is a widely-read work on the profession. At Oberlin, Tom majored in English and was editor of the Oberlin Review.

The program will be moderated by journalist Ted Gest ’68, who was a reporter and editor at U.S. News & World Report, where he covered the White House, Justice Department and Supreme Court before co-founding the national group Criminal Justice Journalists and starting the daily news digest Crime and Justice News. He is co-editor of the book, Inside the Upheaval of Journalism, written with classmates at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. At Oberlin, Ted majored in Government, was an editor at the Oberlin Review and news director of WOBC. He serves on the Oberlin Alumni Leadership Council and has been a longtime volunteer for the DC Oberlin Club.

*Sponsored by the Oberlin Club of Washington, D.C. All are welcome.