Dan Gilgoff, a new adjunct professor in the Department of Communication, started his journalism career just as the internet was taking off. He blogged about national politics for U.S. News & World Report — turning his reporting into a book about the Religious Right during the George W. Bush years — launched one of CNN’s first combined TV/digital units and led online storytelling at National Geographic and AARP, growing audience across mobile, social and audio platforms.
We recently chatted with Dan about how these experiences shape his approach to the classroom at GMU, where he teaches COMM 351: News Writing and Reporting.
Why did you want to teach journalism at George Mason?
The world needs more journalists. As newspapers have shrunk and the internet has exploded with paid influencers and emotional hot takes, it’s never been more important to train journalists who are grounded in facts, rigorous reporting and transparency, and who can help the news industry innovate its way into a relevant and sustainable future.
GMU is a great place to do that, because of the Communications Department’s commitment to teaching journalism as it’s really practiced in the field and because of our proximity to Washington, a global bastion of journalism. One of the most meaningful parts of my career has been mentoring student interns and fellows, and I wanted to take that work to the next level by teaching at GMU. I also love learning from students, like about how they’re using digital platforms to consume news and information — and tell stories — in new ways.
What has the experience been like so far?
I structure each class as a workshop for learning or strengthening specific skills, from structuring news stories to covering events, so there’s lots of energizing back-and-forth with students. I treat them as reporters in a newsroom, with weekly assignments that I edit and send back for revisions. There are great stories coming in about life on campus, including some that have been published in Fourth Estate.
I’ve been impressed by how GMU has built a real journalism community, with many of my students working at campus media organizations like Mason Cable Network or WGMU and at news organizations around Washington, from The Associated Press to FOX 5 DC to industry publications like Agri-Pulse. Campus events constantly bring working journalists to campus, from the Communication Career Forum to Fall For the Book. And Brenna Maloney, who directs the journalism concentration, has built a stable of adjuncts who are working journalists. There are so many bridges to the media industry, which are essential for connecting students to journalism jobs.
Any advice for students as they look for those jobs?
Our industry is built on relationships. The same person who supervised me for a magazine internship when I was an undergraduate hired me 20 years later to be the digital editor-in-chief at AARP. You’ve got to do great work to create professional opportunities for yourself but you’ve also got to build and nurture relationships with employers and future colleagues — don’t just keep your head down.