Sue Robinson, PhD
TEACHER RESEARCHER AUTHOR
About
Sue Robinson is the Helen Firstbrook Franklin Professor of Journalism in the School of Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to teaching journalism and doing community work, she is the author of three books:
1) How Journalists Engage: A theory of trust building, identities and care (2023, Oxford University Press);
2) News After Trump: Journalism's Crisis of Relevance in a Changed Media Culture (2021, Oxford University Press), co-author with Matt Carlson and Seth C. Lewis;
3) Networked News, Racial Divides: How Power and Privilege Shape Public Discourse in Progressive Communities (2018. Cambridge University Press), which won the AEJMC Tankard Book Award.
Lastest Book
How Journalists Engage:
A Theory of Trust Building, Identities, and Care
A unique theory of trust building in engagement journalism that proposes journalists move to an ethic of care as they prioritize listening and learning within communities instead of propping up problematic institutions
Sue Robinson conducts applied research where she partners with newsrooms and journalism-adjacent organization to improve practices. Her partnerships have included The Kettering Foundation, Hearken, Spaceship Media, Trusting News, the Minority Student Achievement Network, and others.
Community Outreach
Sue Robinson has had or is currently in working relationships with the following community-focused nonprofits in volunteering or other kinds of service capacities: Wisconsin Morgridge Center for Public Service, Goodman Center, Lussier Community Center, Urban Triage, Cultural Connections, Dear Diary, Simpson Street Free Press, Centro Hispano, Freedom Inc., and others.
Sue Robinson teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate level, both concepts and skills. Her main teaching arena is journalism, but she also teaches a qualitative methods class and a Community-Based Learning Course.
Journalism Educators Collaborative
Sue Robinson manages a 125-instructor network called the Journalism Educator Collaborative (JEC) that aims to revise Journalism School curriculum for reporting skills classes. We create teaching modules and have regular workshops on innovative teaching practices. Interested in joining? Email Sue at robinson4@wisc.edu.
Sue Robinson worked with the Wisconsin Field Day Lab to produce an educational video game about journalism that will be played in 7th grade classrooms as of Fall 2023.
Get in Touch!
email: robinson4@wisc.edu