Sewell Chan, the veteran editor and journalist who was abruptly exited this month as executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review, has been named senior fellow for the USC Annenberg Center for Communication Leadership & Policy, where he will focus on press freedom in the U.S. and abroad, TheWrap has learned.
Chan said earlier this month that he was fired from CJR after staffers complained about “pointed interactions” with writers over ethics issues including one who wrote positively for the magazine about a pro-Palestine publication, and then wrote for the publication. Chan’s exit from CJR came only eight months after he was hired, with previous editiorships at the Texas Tribune, Los Angeles Times, New York Times and Washington Post.
“Throughout his career, Sewell Chan has been a champion of high-impact, truthful reporting and opinion,” said Geoffrey Cowan, director of CCLP at USC Annenberg. “We look forward to working with him on issues related to journalistic integrity, media and democracy, and new models for local news.”
Chan has been deeply involved in organizations supporting press freedom. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and PEN America, and serves on the boards of the Pulitzer Prizes, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and several other notable institutions.
No stranger to USC Annenberg, Chan has participated in panels and served as a judge for the Selden Ring Awards in recent years. He expressed enthusiasm for joining the distinguished community at CCLP, emphasizing the importance of leadership in an era of disruptive transformation in media.
“I’m thrilled to join the distinguished community of scholars and practitioners at CCLP,” Chan said. “I look forward to engaging with the rich network of scholars, practitioners, and students at USC Annenberg.”
