Three of Industry’s Top Journalists Join School of Journalism Faculty

AUSTIN, Texas — Sept. 18, 2007 – Three journalists with high profile experience in the newspaper and magazine industry have joined the faculty at the School of Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin.

Wanda Garner Cash (BJ ‘71), Tracy Dahlby and Bill Minutaglio bring newspaper and magazine experience in the areas of community, political and international coverage.

“Each of these journalists has had a distinguished career covering communities, international affairs and politics – key areas for future journalists who will work in a world made smaller by technology and more complex by the convergence of different cultures,” said Lorraine Branham director of the School of Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin. “I am pleased to have these highly credible and experienced professionals join our faculty.”

Cash, former editor and publisher of The Baytown Sun, brings to the classroom more than 25 years’ experience in the community newspaper industry. She has devoted her career to mentoring young journalists and advocating for open government and public access. That work included her leadership of a media coalition in 2005 to push for a Texas shield law. A clinical professor and the first fellow to the S. Griffin Singer Professorship in Journalism, she joined the faculty teaching intermediate reporting in fall 2006. She also is a member of the board that oversees “The Daily Texan.” She has held senior editing positions at several Texas newspapers, including The Brazosport Facts, The Ingram News and The Kerrville Daily Times. For more information on Cash, visit: http://journalism.utexas.edu/facstaff/PROD75_007708.html

Dahlby holds the Frank Bennack Chair in Journalism. An award-winning journalist with long experience in international affairs, he spent 13 years in Asia serving as Tokyo bureau chief for Newsweek and The Washington Post, respectively, and has covered events in Japan, China, Korea and Southeast Asia. In 1987, he became managing editor of Newsweek international in New York, where he directed and coordinated worldwide news coverage. Dahlby has been teaching writing and reporting, including a class on covering Asia, since he joined the faculty in fall 2006 semester. For more information on Dahlby, visit: http://journalism.utexas.edu/facstaff/PROD75_007711.html

Minutaglio has written for many publications – including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Talk, Outside and Details – authored several books and been inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters. A former bureau chief for People, a senior writer for The Dallas Morning News and a feature writer for The Houston Chronicle, he has authored books about the Bush family and Texas, including “First Son: George W. Bush & The Bush Family Dynasty,” and “City on Fire: The Explosion That Devastated A Texas Town and Ignited A Historic Legal Battle.” His most recent book is “The President’s Counselor,” about Alberto Gonzales, the 80th attorney general of the United States. A clinical professor, Minutaglio has been teaching narrative story telling since spring 2007. For more information on Minutaglio, visit: http://journalism.utexas.edu/facstaff/PROD75_008664.html

About the School of Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin

The School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin has long been recognized as a leader in journalism education, due in large part to the quality of its distinguished faculty.

The faculty, which include internationally renowned scholars, have diverse backgrounds and extensive experience in the fields of print, broadcast, photojournalism and multimedia journalism. They hold leadership positions in national and international organizations and serve as editors, editorial board members and contributors to the top journals in the field.

In its latest evaluation by the Accrediting Council of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the school was praised for the faculty’s level of scholarly productivity, visibility in both academic and professional circles and exceptional student-faculty relations. Faculty members maintain extensive professional contacts in Texas and around the nation. Among the faculty’s strengths are international reporting, multimedia journalism, business writing, sports journalism, social and political commentary, documentary photography and media and press criticism.

###

Contact:
Erin Geisler
(512) 475-8071