John Watson

Notable work and positions

School of Communication, American University - Associate Professor, Journalism Division (former Division Director)
The Jersey Journal - former reporter and city editor (21-year career)

Biography

John C. Watson is a tenured associate professor in the Journalism Division at American University's School of Communication in Washington, D.C., where he has also served as division director. He spent 21 years as a journalist at The Jersey Journal, starting in 1975 as the paper's first Black reporter and later becoming its first Black city editor, recruiting and hiring numerous journalists of color during his tenure. Watson holds a law degree from Rutgers School of Law and a Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his research on media law and journalism ethics has been published in law reviews and scholarly journals; he is the author of the 2008 book Journalism Ethics by Court Decree. In 2018 the National Association of Black Journalists inducted him into its Hall of Fame for his contributions to newsroom diversity as both a journalist and educator.