School of Journalism

Biography:

Paul joined the School of Journalism in 2005 after more than 30 years as a reporter, editor and broadcaster. He served as chair until 2010. His broad experience, including six years as a foreign correspondent in Latin America, serves as background for his courses in international journalism, introductory reporting and feature writing. He has also taught copy editing, media ethics, and Critical Issues in Journalism.

Paul sees a bright future for our craft despite its current challenges. He believes today’s students will create tomorrow’s news media in exciting new forms, grounded in tested techniques for digging out the information people need. He also believes that scholarly study of journalism’s past and present can enlighten this process. His research interests include Canadian journalism education, the history of international news coverage in Canada and challenges to freedom of expression.

Complementing his teaching and research, Paul writes and comments frequently on media issues and international affairs. He maintains a keen interest in Latin America and has been a commentator in English and Spanish for Radio Canada International. He is active in Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, an organization dedicated to protecting journalists and promoting freedom of expression in Canada and around the world.

Paul’s career in journalism began at the University of British Columbia’s student newspaper, The Ubyssey, and included jobs at the Vancouver Sun and the News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland). He joined The Globe and Mail in 1978 as a copy editor and later served as night city editor, assistant foreign editor, national beats editor and reporter specializing in world affairs. He was a correspondent based in Mexico City (1985-88) and Rio de Janeiro (1988-91), and from 2001 to 2004 he wrote the Worldbeat column on global issues. He was foreign editor in 2004-2005.

Paul studied at Harvard University in 1983-84 as the first Martin Wise Goodman Canadian Nieman Fellow. Columbia University awarded him the Maria Moors Cabot prize in 2000 for his reporting on the Americas. His publication credits include the annual Canada Among Nations, Canadian Foreign Policy, the Mexican Review of Canadian Studies, International Journal, the Literary Review of Canada and the Encyclopaedia Britannica’s Book of the Year.

Qualifications:

B.A., M.A. (Political Science) British Columbia

Current Courses:

JRN 303 - Feature Reporting Workshop

JN 8101 - The City: Reporting, Writing

Other:

Twitter: @paulgknox