Howard University Assoc. Prof. Jennifer Thomas to Visit VMU
On Wednesday 20 September, 11.15 a.m., at VMU Centre for Research and Studies (23 V. Putvinskio Street, Room 106), a lecture will be held by Howard University (USA) Associate Professor, Fulbright Specialist scholar, former executive producer at CNN and journalism expert Jennifer Thomas. The guest’s lecture will be for the students of the VMU Dept. of Public Communication and for the VMU community. The topic of the lecture is ‘When Facts Are Not Enough: How To Sustain Journalism In An Era of Disinformation’.
In the lecture, drawing from over 25 years of experience in journalism, Jennifer Thomas will examine the freedom of the press and the challenges of misinformation in journalism: what has changed and how in journalism in the times of misinformation, platformisation and artificial intelligence.
The lecture will be held in English.
During the September 11 terror attacks, Jennifer Thomas was a producer at CNN and contributed to the coverage of these events as well as Hurricane Katrina, political conventions and elections including the 1992 U.S. presidential election, Olympic games, presidential inaugurations, special events and entertainment. She has also worked as a producer at NBC, ABC as well as New York Times O&O television stations.
During quarter-century of work in journalism, Thomas has earned multiple awards including the George Foster Peabody Award, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences recognition etc.
Currently, Jennifer Thomas is an Associate Professor and leads the Journalism Sequence in the department of Media, Journalism and Film at Howard University. Named the Scripps Howard Foundation 2019 Teacher of the Year, she uses multiple instructional methods and is dedicated to ensuring her students have a successful transition from classroom to newsroom. Her current and former students include Emmy, Hearst, and National Association of Black Journalists award winners.
Jennifer Thomas is also founder of MediaReadyConsulting LLC, which provides coaching, consulting, and Media Relations services. Thomas believes that journalists are the defenders of democracy, freedom fighters of the First Amendment, and savvy and sophisticated storytellers. A published author, her research interests include the dissection of current practices and pedagogies in journalism, the transition from professional to professor, and the complex facets of women, media, and images.
She has presented research in Namibia, Africa; Lagos, Nigeria, where she was the special lecturer, trainer, and keynote speaker for the country’s observation of World Press Freedom Week; and throughout South Africa, as the featured guest during its Media Freedom Week. In 2020, Thomas was named as one of six 2020 U.S. Howard University Fulbright awardees. During her Fulbright program, she plans to focus on media and journalistic freedom with regards to the phenomenon of “fake news,” under the larger umbrella of ethics and dignity in reporting.
On 22 September, the guest will also participate in the international academic Romas Sakadolskis Journalism Forum, which is organised annually by Vytautas Magnus University and Vilnius University.
The visit/lecture are organised in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania.
On Thursday 21 September, 5 p.m., at Vilnius University Faculty of Communication (9 Saulėtekio al., Vilnius, Room 204), Jennifer Thomas will host masterclass Back to the Future: Focusing on the F.A.C.T.s for Emerging Journalists. Registration is required, places are limited. The masterclass is open to students of all universities and young journalists. Priority will be given to MA and BA final year students if there is a high level of interest. The invited participants will be informed by email.
