Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications Dean Charles Whitaker supports the student body in numerous ways, including when the school year is out.
Each summer, he attends professional journalism affinity conventions alongside students. Earlier this month, he attended the National Association of Hispanic Journalists career conference and expo in Hollywood, California.
Whitaker has officially been dean of the journalism school for five years as of this month, and for most of that time he has made DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) a big focus of his tenure, pushing for Medill to fund travels of nearly 100 students each year to affinity-centered journalism conventions.
“I did my first NABJ conference in 1984, 40 years ago, and it was just so tremendous and eye-opening,” Whitaker said. “Recognizing how affirmed I felt in that space, how important the networks were that I formed, it’s really important to me to want to provide Medill students with the opportunity to feel and experience the same thing in the other affinity organizations.”
Representation in journalist associations
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA), NAHJ and other journalists’ associations for underrepresented demographics annually host conferences in major cities in the nation. These organizations provide community and resources for journalists who have been historically shut out of the media industry due to racism, xenophobia and other prejudices. Northwestern has student chapters for many of the national associations.
The almost weeklong conferences function as networking opportunities, places where journalists and students can have their resumes reviewed, receive advice from recruiters and experienced journalists, have job interviews, attend workshops and panels and enjoy other opportunities. The sessions cover topics such as gender equity, mindful coverage, immigration and poverty. Attendees can learn about different areas in journalism, such as digital, broadcast and audio.
Making connections
Some students have found these opportunities allow them to make connections that result in internships and fellowships. A barrier to attending is often the financial burden of paying for membership, in addition to flights and other expenses. Medill provides the opportunity to students in financially burdened situations to attend, with most expenses covered.
Although Whitaker is a member of NABJ, he actively supports all of the conventions, making an effort to attend as many as possible. This year he will take part in most of the events, having attended NAHJ’s July 9-to-14 conference in Los Angeles and he will attend NABJ’s convention July 31 to Aug. 4 in Chicago.
Whitaker said that although he started his journalism career at a time when a lot of African Americans were entering the field and the National Association of Black Journalists was being formed, he felt representation was lacking in the magazine sector, where he wanted to work.
When he was starting his career, at Ebony Magazine, he was able to connect with a group of young writers, reporters and editors who were also Black and created a strong support network for him, people who have been his closest friends for more than 40 years. Having that network allowed him to feel there was a place for him in the magazine world, he said.
“Sometimes as a person of color in these spaces, when things happen to you – good or bad – you’re unsure whether this has happened because of race. It’s always this specter that’s looming over your being and your employment,” Whitaker said. “But just having them there as a support was really important throughout my career.
Being part of NABJ was also pivotal in affirming his sense of belonging as a Black person in the journalism field, Whitaker said.
In his role as a professor and dean, he said, he never imagined someone like him, a person of color, could be in his leadership position.
“It’s still a little daunting. When I was a student with Medill, I never in a million years dreamt or imagined that I would be dean or necessarily that anyone who looks like me could be dean any time soon,” Whitaker said. “It’s still a little surreal for me, but it’s good.”
DEI outreach
Whitaker interacts with students throughout the conferences, particularly at a lunch hosted for current students with the dean, and during an alumni mixer Medill hosts each year at the conventions for current students to meet graduates that form part of the affinity organizations.
The annual “lunch with the dean” tradition allows Whitaker to become more familiar with students he may not have had a chance to connect with personally, and gauge their interests and career aspirations, sharing his experiences and advice in turn.
Along with nearly 50 other media organizations and a handful of undergraduate and graduate journalism schools, Medill always has a booth at the conferences’ career fairs to promote its programming. Whitaker and other faculty are present to represent the school, but also reconnect with alumni and connect with recruiters they can put in touch with the students present at the events.
“I think it’s important for students to see me, for the alumni community to see me, for recruiters to see me,” Whitaker said. “I’ve said Medill has to be more than a training ground, which is what we’ve been for 103 years. We also have to be a leader in these industries and being a leader often means showing up and showing your support.”
Attending these conferences has allowed alumni to remain part of the associations once they have started their careers and have long left Medill. Whitaker said this demonstrates to students that there is an alumni network of individuals who share their identity.
Whitaker said it’s important to cultivate and celebrate diversity within the Medill “family” to give students a network they can rely on long after graduation, which is the purpose of the alumni reception.
Advocating for funding efforts
Despite Medill’s national standing as a top journalism institution, financing students’ trips is something Whitaker had to champion for, as Medill’s funding for DEI (where the budget for these conferences comes from) is limited.
Whitaker said Medill has to raise a lot of its own money to fund these opportunities, because of budget limitations from the university.
As sending such a large group of students to various conventions each year is an “expensive commitment,” there are people – particularly those in charge of the budget – who question whether or not Medill should keep sponsoring these student experiences. But Whitaker said that as long as he is dean, his commitment is to continue these efforts.
He added that the conventions serve to launch the careers of many students, and funding students’ attendance is a worthwhile commitment. Using the events as opportunities to outreach with professionals who can be of service to students is also important, Whitaker said.
“Being able to see people who look like you, who identify like you, achieving – and these are huge celebrations of achievement, which I also love about these conventions – really does bolster the confidence of individuals who may be questioning whether or not there is room for them in these industries,” Whitaker said. “You see all these shining examples of people who are making it and everyone is so encouraging and supportive in these spaces.”
Medill dean’s outreach provides students opportunities at affinity journalism conferences is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.