CHICAGO, Sept. 27, 2021 – Tom Rosenstiel, outgoing executive director of the American Press Institute (API) and a new faculty member at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, has joined NORC at the University of Chicago as a senior fellow in the Public Affairs and Media Research Department.
As one of the foremost experts on journalism, its role in our democracy, and the evolving media environment, Rosenstiel will bring his wealth of industry knowledge to NORC’s growing media research portfolio and support of clients, including some of the nation’s most influential media companies, PR and consulting firms, philanthropies, and policymakers.
“The world is moving faster than ever before,” said Trevor Tompson, senior vice president of the Public Affairs and Media Research Department at NORC. “How society interprets news stories and media coverage is fundamental to understanding the relationship between the public and policymakers, and having Tom at the forefront of that work here at NORC will be invaluable.”
Rosenstiel, who joined the faculty of Maryland this fall as the Eleanor Merrill Visiting Professor on the Future of Journalism, is uniquely positioned to help NORC better understand research about news and news audiences, consumption habits, the implications of new technologies, and ever-changing audience behavior. Rosenstiel will play a pivotal role in supporting The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, an entity that combines objective research and unbiased journalism. With experience as both a researcher and a reporter, Rosenstiel will be involved in some of the public opinion work for which the AP-NORC Center is known.
“AP is delighted to have Tom join the AP-NORC Center as we look to expand our research programs aimed at understanding how news organizations can better connect with their audiences,” said David Scott, vice president and managing editor at The Associated Press. “We look forward to leveraging Tom’s vast experience both as a researcher and a journalist.”
“I am excited to join an organization with such dedication to trustworthy data and scientific rigor,” said Rosenstiel, “and thrilled to collaborate with NORC as media continues to guide how society interprets our ever-changing world.”
Rosenstiel joins NORC and the affiliation with AP-NORC after eight and a half years at API, where he led the decades-old institution through a transformation into an applied think tank for professionals in newsrooms and an educational hub for journalism students.
Rosenstiel is the author of 11 books, including 7 on the intersection of media and politics. His book The Elements of Journalism, co-authored with Bill Kovach and now in its fourth edition, is in more than 25 languages and has been called “a modern classic” by The New York Times and “one of the five most important books on journalism ever written” by The Wall Street Journal. He is the author of four novels. The newest, The Days to Come, will be published by Ecco HarperCollins in November.
Rosenstiel worked for a decade as a press critic for the Los Angeles Times and chief congressional correspondent at Newsweek. He went on to found the Project for Excellence in Journalism, one of the five original projects that made up the Pew Research Center, and led its journalism research for 16 years before joining API. He is the recipient of numerous journalism awards and accolades, including four awards for research in journalism from the Society of Professional Journalists and a winner of the Goldsmith Book Award from Harvard University.
About The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research
The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research taps into the power of social science research and the highest-quality journalism to bring key information to people across the nation and throughout the world.
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.
NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.
The two organizations have established The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research to conduct, analyze, and distribute social science research in the public interest on newsworthy topics, and to use the power of journalism to tell the stories that research reveals.
Contact: For more information, contact Eric Young for NORC at young-eric@norc.org or (703) 217-6814 (cell).