Leigh Ann Winick was named Lead Medical Producer for CBS Network News. She was previously medical producer for CBS Mornings. Earlier this year, Winick was awarded Best Television report from the American Association for Cancer Research.

Leigh Ann Winick was named Lead Medical Producer for CBS Network News. She was previously medical producer for CBS Mornings. Earlier this year, Winick was awarded Best Television report from the American Association for Cancer Research.
Susanni Douville is retiring from the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine on July 31, 2024, after 26 years as a career law clerk to three successive U.S. Magistrate Judges. After obtaining her M.S.J. from Medill in 1980, she worked as a copy editor at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Washington Post, and the Hartford Courant before switching career gears and obtaining her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1990. She looks forward to decompressing, spending more time with family and friends, including her husband, John R. Hull, Jr., and daughters Kate and Christie Hull, and being able to savor sunrises (with coffee) and sunsets (with wine) at home in Harpswell, Maine, instead of commuting on I-295.
Ian Douglass was inducted into the Pro Wrestling Authors Hall of Fame in June.
Matt Barrows (MSJ97)
When a popular fishing captain is murdered on his own trawler, everyone in Haversport, Massachusetts, knows the culprit is a young deckhand named Ben Broome, including Detective Lillian Grimes. But Ben has discovered the perfect hiding place: as a reporter writing for the tiny Coastal Packet, a newspaper down in South Carolina.
A half-eaten body washes in, becomes the biggest story in the paper’s history and brings cunning, charismatic Ben unexpected success. But it also leads Grimes closer to the truth. She soon teams up with hungry rival reporter Florence Park to hunt Ben down before he can charm—or kill—his way to freedom.
Shown from three perspectives, killer, detective, and reporter, Muddy the Water brings readers inside the newsroom of a struggling small newspaper on the bucolic South Carolina coast and speaks to the concept of identity—and whether anyone ever shows their true self.
Melissa Harris (BSJ02)
Melissa Harris is co-author of the new book “Everybody Needs an Editor: The Essential Guide to Clear and Effective Writing,” written with Jenn Bane and edited by Mark Jacob. The book, published by Simon Element, is a guide for contemporary times, advising readers how to use ChatGPT without sacrificing their humanity, how to write emails that will actually get opened, and how to deliver a presentation that will keep colleagues off their phones.
One of the key points in the book is that Artificial Intelligence doesn’t mean people can stop worrying about the quality of their writing. It actually means the opposite – people must write extremely well to stand out from the crowd. And if they use AI, they have to know how to edit it to avoid disaster.
The book is fun to read – not at all preachy. As Publishers Weekly put it: “The authors can be delightfully snarky, such as when they caution against turning nouns into verbs and ridicule a job posting that used ‘laddering’ as a verb: ‘Garage the laddering. Unless you need to reach a kitten who is treeing.’”
Issue 106 focuses on faculty at Medill, including the Northwestern Prison Education Program and the new George R.R. Martin Writer’s Workshop.
James “Jim” Warren Harff, age 83, passed away peacefully at his condominium in Elkhart Lake, WI, on November 25, 2024.
Jim was born in Sheboygan, WI, on December 5, 1940, to Benjamin and Helen Harff. Jim attended Jefferson School and graduated from Sheboygan Central High School in 1959.
Jim went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in journalism from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Jim was also in the National Army Reserves.
Jim had an extensive and impressive career in journalism, public relations, and communications. He began working for WHBL and Kohler, prior to becoming more involved in politics and campaign public relations. Jim established permanent residency in Arlington, Virginia, while working for Ruder Finn, Inc, and several other international public relations firms in the Washington, D.C., area. Ultimately, he became the Chief Executer Officer of Global Communicators. Jim was extremely passionate about his career and continued working full-time until the age of 82.
Jim had an active lifestyle and enjoyed traveling, skiing, horseback riding, biking, and spending time with friends and family.
Jim was an intelligent, compassionate, and giving person. He maintained many close friendships, some dating back to his childhood. He enjoyed socializing with his friends and family, especially during the summer months while working from his condominium in Elkhart Lake, WI.
Jim will be dearly missed by family and many close friends. Jim is survived by his two nieces, Rebecca (Tim) Thompson of Sheboygan, WI, and Deborah (Chris Yankee) Pope, of Boulder, Colorado. He also has five great-niece/nephews: Cora and Owen Thompson, Bella and Aiden Pope, and Ria Yankee.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents Ben and Helen Harff and his sister Luanne Harff-Burchinal.
Visitation will be held on Saturday, December 7th, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, prior to the funeral at 11:00 AM, at Zimmer Westview Funeral and Cremation Care Center, Sheboygan, WI. Burial will occur at Wildwood Cemetery.
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/james-jim-harff-obituary?id=56910741
Ed died on October 25, 2024, at the age of 77. He was born on October 16, 1947 to Donald Edward McConville and Monica Mason McConville. He leaves three sisters, Kathe M. Crane (Lawrence) of Memphis, Tennessee, Sheila M. Fane of Hartsdale, NY and Patricia M. Smith (Mark) of Plano, Texas. He also leaves two nieces, one nephew and several cousins.
Ed graduated from McQuaid Jesuit High School and Middlebury College (Vermont). He earned an MA in Journalism from Northwestern University and studied for a PhD in American History at Duke University. He wrote for national magazines, and various publications in New York, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. He was an avid reader, preferring hand-held books throughout his life.
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/edward-mcconville-obituary?id=56677805
A sweeping, in-depth survey of the news consumption habits of Chicago-area residents by Medill researchers captures the tectonic shift to smartphone usage from television and print newspapers, and finds that half of consumers believe no one should pay for journalism.
The survey of 1,004 people, one of the largest examinations ever of news consumption habits in the Chicago area, identifies numerous notable findings. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed, or 62%, said they use their smartphones to get local news all the time or often, compared to 52% who watch news on television all the time or often. Thirteen percent of respondents said they read traditional newspapers and magazines often or all the time, while only a limited number of residents (19%) pay or donate money for access to local journalism.
In one of the survey’s most significant findings, Medill’s researchers identified a lack of public awareness of the financially perilous state of local news. A majority of those surveyed (54%) believe local news outlets are doing “somewhat well” financially. Another 17% said they are doing “very well,” meaning that in total, 71% of respondents don’t know the news business is in crisis. Research by the Medill Local News Initiative has chronicled in detail the alarming pace at which news organizations under financial duress are shrinking or disappearing, creating “news
deserts” in communities across the country.
The disconnect between performance and awareness has profound implications for the future of journalism because many local newsrooms need to persuade more consumers to become paying customers for digital news to make up for weak online advertising revenue. But audiences not only don’t believe the news business is suffering, they are skeptical about who, if anyone, should pay for news. About half (51%) of Chicago-area residents said no one should pay for news. Another 27% of respondents said those who can pay should pay.
Much smaller numbers said those who read the most should pay, or everyone should pay. “The most solid pillar of local news is reader revenue, digital subscriptions, or memberships,” said Tim Franklin, Senior Associate Dean at Medill and one of the authors of the survey. “If half of people think that no one should have to pay for news, that shows the news business model has some headwinds.”
The survey, published as a 64-page report, “The Medill Survey: How the Chicago Area Gets its News,” was conducted by faculty of the Medill School with funding by the MacArthur Foundation. The authors are Medill Professor Stephanie Edgerly, Associate Dean of Research; Assistant Professor Yu Xu; along with Franklin, who is also John M. Mutz Chair in Local News and Director of the Medill Local News Initiative. NORC at the University of Chicago, on Medill’s behalf, surveyed adults throughout the 14-county metro area, including parts of southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana, via a mixture of phone and web methods. The margin of error was +/- 4.66%.
While the survey focused on the Chicago region, the results may bea microcosm of the fast-changing landscape for local news across the country. The study’s goal was to examine the current state of the public’s interest in and reliance on local news, as well as readership, viewership and listenership habits. The survey also explored other views on journalism, including motivations for consuming news and attitudes related to the trustworthiness of reporters to perform their roles well.
Some of the survey’s key findings include:
A principal goal of the study is to give news organizations, journalists, philanthropists, scholars and other interested parties a better understanding of consumers’ behaviors. “Armed with these insights, key stakeholders can explore new pathways to better meet the public’s news needs and explore new business models to support the local journalism our communities need,” Edgerly said.
While the Medill report confirms the impact of technological change on local news consumption habits, it also suggests that some basic assumptions by journalists and civic leaders about how the public values local news may no longer be true. Industry leaders have made passionate arguments in defense of financially struggling newspapers, warning that democratic traditions are at stake because journalists are watchdogs of public interest whose work binds citizens to
communities. But that perspective isn’t widely recognized.
The survey found that the main reason people said they consume local news and information is to meet the needs of everyday life. Specifically, 60% of respondents consume news because it “helps me save and manage money,” while 52% consume news because it “helps me stay healthy.” Far down the list are “helps me feel connected to my community” (15%) as well as “helps me take action to address issues I care about” (12%) and “helps me stay informed to be a better citizen” (10%).
“The big push by philanthropy and policymakers right now to provide money for local news is in a democracy framework: More robust local news helps improve the democratic institutions of a community and the country,” Franklin said. “This survey suggests that message isn’t taking hold with the public yet and there’s more work to do to make the public aware of what’s at stake with the loss of local news. While we as journalists attach altruistic reasons for our work and why people come to local news, many of them are tuning in or reading in a transactional way.”
The report includes a conclusion urging stakeholders with an interest in a free and vigorous press to play a role in elevating local news at a moment when it is under siege. The report also features a brief history of Chicago journalism to offer further perspective on the important findings of the survey.
“How the Chicago Area Gets Its News” is a product of the Medill Local News Initiative, a research and development project aimed at bolstering the sustainability of local news.
Medill has created the Medill Illinois News Bureau, which will provide local news outlets with coverage of the state legislature and government agencies.
Working in partnership with Capitol News Illinois (CNI), Medill graduate and undergraduate journalism students will develop expertise in covering state government, producing stories and multimedia content that will be distributed to news organizations statewide and in bordering states. CNI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization based in Springfield that is operated by the Illinois Press Foundation. Its vast distribution network includes about 700 newspapers, digital-only news sites and broadcast outlets throughout Illinois and in border state cities such as St. Louis.
“This new Medill Illinois News Bureau is intended to help strengthen coverage of state government at a time when the Statehouse press corps has been depleted and after most newspapers have closed their Springfield bureaus,” said Medill Dean Charles Whitaker. “Medill is stepping up to help fill some of that void, and to provide students with invaluable, real-world experience and classroom expertise covering one of the largest and most complex state governments in the nation.”
A team of Medill students will be based in Springfield during the legislative session and will work out of CNI’s newsroom. When the legislature is not in session, these students will develop enterprise pieces and cover breaking state government news from Chicago.
“Our Capitol News Illinois team is very excited about this partnership with Medill,” said Jeff Rogers, the founding editor of CNI and executive director of the Illinois Press Foundation. “Through its Local News Initiative, Medill and Northwestern University are making a significant push to revitalize community journalism and address the growing number of news deserts in Illinois. Because Capitol News Illinois addresses a news desert at the Illinois Capitol, this is a perfect partnership that will further connect communities statewide to their state government. This is a win for everyone, including the fantastic student journalists at Medill, who will get their work published by newspapers and broadcast outlets throughout the state.”
The program is funded with a grant from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. The McCormick Foundation is a major supporter of the Medill Local News Initiative, a multi-pronged project aimed at bolstering local news locally and nationally. The initiative includes the Medill State of Local News Project, which tracks the number of news outlets nationally and news desert communities, and programs such as the Medill Local News Accelerator, the Midwest Solutions Journalism Hub and Teach for Chicago Journalism. Program participants also will conduct local news audience research.
“We are glad to have Medill and Capitol News Illinois as partners in keeping our citizens informed about the actions of their government and keeping the State of Illinois accountable to its residents,” said Tim Knight, the president and chief executive officer of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Medill Senior Lecturer Bob Rowley will serve as director of the Medill Illinois News Bureau. Rowley is a former national and foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, where served as national editor for seven years. Rowley covered state government and local politics early in his reporting career.