The DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy is Duke University’s hub for journalism and media studies.
The DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy is Duke University’s hub for journalism and media studies. We study the interaction between media and policy; we support watchdog and accountability reporting in the U.S. and around the world; and we teach about the media’s role in democracy. Founded in 1973, the Center is part of the Sanford School of Public Policy, and we share the school’s mission to improve lives through research, leadership, civic engagement and public service.
The DeWitt Wallace Center offers over 20 undergraduate and graduate courses designed to give students a thorough understanding of the principles and the practice of journalism. Starting in the fall of 2023, after 20 years of teaching media-focused students through the Policy Journalism & Media Studies certificate, the Center now offers the Journalism & Media minor for students aspiring to become future journalists, or private and public sector leaders who will interact with and create the media. To register for DeWitt Wallace Center media courses, look for courses listed under the subject code JAM.
The Center faculty lead collaborative research hubs, and also conduct independent research. All research programs offer opportunities for undergraduate and graduate researchers.
The Center supports four chaired professors including three professors of the practice and one academic chair, and several adjunct faculty.
Faculty Chairs include:
Bill Adair, James L. Knight Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy
Frank Bruni, Eugene C. Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy
Stephen Buckley, Eugene C. Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy
Philip Napoli, James R. Shepley Professor of Public Policy (Professor Napoli serves as the Director of the DeWitt Wallace Center)
In addition to our faculty, the Center includes four support staff and four researchers.
The Ewing Lecture on Ethics in Journalism
The Ewing Lecture is delivered annually by an invited guest lecturer on media ethics.
John Fisher Zeidman Memorial Colloquium on Politics and the Press
The Zeidman Colloquium convenes panels comprising some of the most well-known journalists of our time to discuss the relationship between media and politics, held biannually during election years. The next Zeidman Colloquium will take place in the fall of 2012, coinciding with the U.S. presidential election.