CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Susan King served as Dean of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media for nearly a decade. Her career began in New York, but she spent much of her time in Washington DC.
“I loved being a Washington reporter. I loved watching history. That’s the piece about journalism that’s so fantastic,” says King.
After several years in the nation’s capital, she made the move to North Carolina, taking on a position as Dean.
“It was a leap. I’m not a traditional dean. I don’t have a Ph.D. I’m not a scholar, I’m a practitioner. I’m a journalist through and through,” recalls King.
“You played, as dean, a large role in getting the Hussman funding for UNC. Can you talk about what that was like,” I asked King.
“I did not know he had the financial resources to name the school. And when I found out, we began to talk. He cared about building trust in journalism. So do I. We’ve lost a lot of trust. So, he and I really connected very well and I’m very proud of that moment,” King responded.
King’s tenure as Dean wasn’t without controversy. In 2021, UNC was in the spotlight over its decision to back out of giving tenure to journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, an ending King says she didn’t expect as the staffing decision was originally met with enthusiasm.
“It then changed politically, and it was political because she represented what has become a wedge issue. Critical Race Theory. Her work is not critical race theory, but it does make America face up to the stain of slavery and it challenges us as a country. I think UNC is strong enough to take that challenge,” King says.
After fighting with and for Hannah-Jones, She stepped down as dean, but stuck around to teach. Now, King says it’s time to move on.
“I never planned on staying more than ten years. In a business that changes as fast as ours, I feel like you need new energy, new ideas. This is not my school. This is your school. Alumni school and the student’s school. And we need to keep it fresh, dynamic and forward thinking.”
But it’s more than just a career move.
“I want to make sure that I have time to laugh and time to write and time to live,” King says.
She had this advice for young journalists.
“Love what you’re doing, never compromise, serve the public, don’t do cheap journalism or just controversy. Try to really serve the public so they’re more informed. We need it more than ever. Base your work on facts but be a great storyteller and love every minute of it.”
King plans to move back to her home state of New Jersey and says she plans to eventually team up with her daughter to write about her daughter’s adoption story.
Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/epBobiDui98