Boston University’s journalism department is getting a new chair. Brian McGrory, editor of the Boston Globe for the last 10 years, and before that, a distinguished reporter and columnist, will step down from the post by the end of the year to helm the College of Communication journalism program.
McGrory, who will start at BU by the end of the calendar year, tells BU Today he plans to build upon a strong foundation in the journalism department, where he sees room for “a fresh perspective.” He’ll help create curricula that “reflect what newsrooms are looking for right now,” he says. That includes journalists with excellent storytelling skills and who are “fast on their feet, with fundamentally good judgment.” But beyond writing, he says, top-notch journalistic enterprises also need people who focus on audio, video, audience engagement, and data analysis.
“Boston is a media capital in this country,” McGrory says. “I think that BU can take even greater advantage of that. The department is a great place, and the faculty are strong and getting stronger.”