Sohn heads UNLV journalism school

By Christina Littlefield (contact)

Friday, Aug. 26, 2005 | 8:46 a.m.

Documenting disappearances, attacks and even the beheading of a fellow journalist has a way of changing a person.

That was the case, at least, for Fullbright Scholar Ardyth Sohn, who said her time teaching journalism at Kyiv International University in Ukraine in spring 2004 reminded her of just how vital a free press is to a democracy.

"It was an eye-opening experience for me," said Sohn, who was in Ukraine right before the revolution. "There were young people in their 20s who were fighting and willing to lose their lives for this field."

As the new director of the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies, Sohn said she will be imparting that lesson to her students, making sure they understand both the importance of their role as journalists and the responsibility that entails.

Sohn, who took over the school July 1, is the school's second director. Former director Michael Murray resigned midway through his first year because of family reasons, UNLV officials said.

UNLV split the journalism school off from the School of Communications in 2004 to allow both programs to develop in their individual areas.

Sohn said she was drawn to UNLV because of the vibrancy of Las Vegas, the "fantastic" opportunities students have for internships, and for the chance to build a school from the ground up. She also said she was very excited for the new Greenspun College of Urban Affairs building, currently in the final planning stages, which will include a convergence laboratory for journalism students.

The convergence laboratory will teach students how to tell stories across several different mediums, including print, online, radio and television.

"This is the next step in that evolution of technology and evolution of journalism," Sohn said.

The laboratory will likely offer workshops for working journalists as well as students, Sohn said.

The Greenspun family, which donated $25 million to the $60 million project, owns the Las Vegas Sun. The building is set for completion in early 2008.

The journalism school is hosting a retreat today with faculty to "think through the challenges ahead," Sohn said. The retreat will look at the technological challenges facing journalism, the civic challenges as journalism continues to evaluate its role in serving the public, and the school's research interests.

Sohn, whose background is in print journalism, is the co-author of a book on media management and is about to publish a book looking at the media coverage of capital punishment in Texas.

Sohn began teaching journalism in 1976 at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and has since taught in Indiana and Texas. She has a doctorate and master's degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University.