Lewis Wolfson
Faculty & Staff >> Lewis Wolfson
Wolfson, LewisProfessor Emeritus
BA, Dartmouth College (Literature)
MSJ, Columbia University (Journalism)
MA, Harvard University (Soviet Studies)
Email: lwolfso@american.edu
"We may be living through one of the great transitional eras in history. Everyone looks to us to help them understand a tidal wave of change in their lives. You need a strong liberal arts background to understand the world you will tell them about; media studies to learn about your field which affects everyone in powerful ways, and the skills to help guide the public through uncertain times. The opportunity to serve the public is one of the great rewards in life."
Professor Wolfson came to AU as a respected Washington news bureau chief. He developed and directed the master’s degree program in journalism and public policy. He also built the master’s program in news media studies, graduate journalism internships, and SOC’s honors program.
He has been interviewed widely about the President, Congress and the issues facing America. He has taught, written, and been quoted about all aspects of elections.
His book, The Untapped Power of the Press (Greenwood-Praeger), explains the world of the Washington press corps and what it can do to inform Americans more effectively. He has contributed to other books, magazines, newspapers and the internet. He also published ground-breaking studies on the president-press relations, the media and Watergate, and the press-government revolving door.
Many of his graduates have become leaders in the media. But he also has taught government officials, lawyers, the military and other professionals. He has been consulted on mid-career education and on the development of a major center on the press and public policy. He was a resident in a Washington think tank and twice served in Harvard’ University’s Kennedy School of Government-as a distinguished professor and research fellow in the Institute of Politics and, later, as a fellow in the Shorenstein Center on the press, politics, and public policy.
He is now developing Dialogue with the Press, which will bring journalists and professionals together to confront barriers between them and strengthen public understanding of a dramatically changing world.
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION:
The Presidency; Government, the Media and Public Policy; the Insiders' and Public's View of Washington; the Press Corps; the Media in Society; Elections and Politics; the Future of the Media
PRIOR SERVICE:
His past service includes Research Fellow and Adjunct Professor, Institute of Politics, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; and Fellow at the Center on Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard.
