Excellence in International Journalism

The Murrow International Journalism Lab (IJ-Lab/Murrow) implements projects that bolster excellence in journalism education abroad, leads training workshops for professional journalists in the former Soviet bloc and the Global South, and carries out research at the intersection of media, religion & conflict.

A pandemic of disinformation is undermining credible journalism and destabilizing democracy around the world. From the wars in Ukraine and Gaza to climate change and health, journalists must battle a blizzard of mis- and disinformation as they struggle to provide fact-based reporting.

At the same time, press freedom is under siege as autocrats criminalize truth. “Crimes against journalists have an enormous impact on society as a whole, because they prevent people from making informed decisions,” warns UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. Threats, physical attacks, imprisonment, manipulation of social media, and financial pressures on news organizations are all weapons used against the media.

These manifold challenges, coupled with digital disruption and the collapse of media economic models, have upended journalism education just as they have upended the industry itself.

The mission of IJ-Lab/Murrow is to work with international journalism schools, as well as professional journalists, to help them adapt to this shifting landscape, and at the same time carry out research that helps us better understand journalists and their world.

The principal investigator/director is Lawrence Pintak, PhD, who was the founding dean of Murrow College (Lpintak@wsu.edu) and is an award-winning international correspondent.

Links to details on our partnerships with journalism schools abroad and our research on the challenges facing international journalism can be found on the navigation bar to the left.