Faculty Feature of the Month

October 28, 2021 - Ireland Ingram

Eric Freedman is Professor of Journalism and former Associate Dean of International Studies and Programs. During his 20-year newspaper career, he covered public affairs, environmental issues and legal affairs for newspapers in New York and Michigan, winning a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of a legislative corruption scandal. He teaches environmental journalism and serves as director of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. He also teaches public affairs reporting, international journalism and feature writing and serves as director of the school's Capital News Service, a professional-level practicum in which students cover state government for more than 25 newspapers and online news outlets across Michigan.

As a professional journalist and freelancer, Freedman has written for newspapers and magazines on such environmental issues as habitat protection, parks and public lands, toxic substances, extinction, ecotourism and government regulation. At MSU, he directed the Australia Media, Environment, Culture and Tourism study abroad program, the Reporting in the British Isles study abroad program and a freshman seminar abroad on environment and media in Scotland.

His research interests include press systems and journalism practices in the former Soviet Union: environmental journalism practices and challenges; international journalists' professional standards and education; public affairs reporting; news coverage of press and human rights; and U.S. political history.