Journalism is changing. As traditional newsrooms downsize, print publications falter, and false information flows ever so easily throughout social media, the public increasingly distrusts news outlets—and contributing to the precarious prospects young journalists face.
Yet, in the twenty-first century’s ever-shifting media landscape, the University of Pittsburgh’s English department has become a quiet but significant place for journalistic talent. Though Pitt lacks a formal journalism major, its courses, faculty, and the student-run newsroom at The Pitt News have shaped produce award-winning stories and careers. Now, with new curricula and journalism certificate in development, Pitt is gearing up to play a more visible part in shaping the future of journalism and preparing students to meet the demands of a rapidly changing news landscape.
The Pitt News As Training Ground
Since 1910, The Pitt News has served as a journalism hub for students on campus. Pitt’s student-run daily newspaper offers opportunities for students to see what a journalism career might entail, from pitching stories and finding sources to writing an article and going through production. Every fall and spring semester, The Pitt News invites students to join any of their five desks: news, opinions, sports, culture, or visual. Many students join without prior experience, yet leave with published writing, newsroom skills, and professional contacts.
Brett Murphy, a 2013 Pitt alum and former Pitt News-er, found his love for reporting in news office during his time as an undergrad. While a student at Pitt, Murphy never formally studied journalism at Pitt because there was no dedicated program; instead, he majored in English nonfiction writing, a route that many undergraduate students pursuing journalism still take.
Murphy’s formative years were supported by professors and advisors like Harry Kloman, the newspaper’s faculty adviser for 25 years. Eventually, the skills that Murphy learned at Pitt led him to national acclaim: Murphy was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2018 for his USA TODAY investigative reporting series on the exploitation of truckers in California and won a Pulitzer in Public Service (journalism) in 2024 as part of a ProPublica team investigating secrecy surrounding the Supreme Court. He was even listed on the 2021 Forbes “30 Under 30” list for media.
Despite the lack of a formal program, Murphy said that Pitt provided him with a foundation in curiosity, research, and writing. “If it wasn't for the courses and the education I got from Pitt, I would not be a journalist today,” Murphy reflected. “There’s no doubt about it.”
The cornerstone of that foundation was The Pitt News.
“The Pitt News is the heart of journalism training at Pitt,” says Murphy. “It’s where I learned to do the work.”
Legacy Media in a Time of Crisis
More than 125 newspapers closed across the United States in 2023, with over 2,000 journalism jobs getting cut. Though legacy news is in crisis, news is still happening every single day—which is why digital news media is becoming a more prominent news source in our daily cycle. Nonprofit outlets, such as ProPublica and Pittsburgh-based PublicSource, have gained prominence, offering investigative stories outside traditional ad-based business models.
“The revenue model has changed,” said Doug Swanson, a longtime investigative journalist and now a research associate professor in Pitt’s English department. “But journalism is more vital than ever—especially local journalism.” 
Swanson, who spent decades at The Dallas Morning News, teaches several nonfiction and reporting courses at Pitt, including Introduction to Journalism and Nonfiction. He says the student interest in journalism is there, even if the University doesn’t yet offer a full major. In his experience, only a handful of students in each class plan to pursue journalism as a career, but many walk away with skills essential to democratic participation: research, clarity, verification, and storytelling.
“You may not become a journalist, but you’ll leave understanding how to evaluate information,” Swanson said. “That’s an increasingly rare skill.”
Swanson and others believe that the best journalism education happens through practice. “You learn by doing it, that’s the only way,” he said. Swanson’s courses simulate newsroom conditions: Students pitch stories, report, revise drafts, and meet deadlines. Whether the student is majoring in English, Communication, or another field entirely, the emphasis remains on curiosity, clarity, and accuracy.
Similarly, Allison Bennett Dyche, an teaching professor in Pitt English, has brought an infusion of multimedia thinking to the department. Dyche, who joined the department in 2024, has two decades’ of experience in student media advising, digital journalism, and podcasting. Throughout her time as an educator, Dyche has learned more and more about the increasingly digital landscape, where, she noted, “I kind of had to forge my own path and learn alongside the students.” Her classes, including Fundamentals of News Reporting, combine traditional journalism instruction with lessons in podcast production and hands-on projects, like a class zine focused on Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning.
This fall, Dyche will also be teaching a newer class to fit the contemporary media moment, Media Literacy: Writing and Reading Your Way Through the Digital Landscape. This course, which recognizes that many young people get their news from social media platforms, will, she says, “help students develop into critical and informed news consumers and producers.” The class doesn’t have any prerequisites, and is open to students from all schools and disciplines.
Dyche has taken Pitt students to conferences like the National Freedom of Information Coalition's Sunshine Week event in Washington, DC, to which she organized a trip this past spring. Students met professionals from CNN and public radio outlets. The goal, she says, is not only to teach journalism but to give students access to professional networks and real-world models.
“Even if they don’t end up going into journalism, I want students to leave with a better understanding of how to be a critical consumer of media,” Dyche said.
Towards a New Journalism Program
Dyche was hired in part to help design a new journalism certificate, which is currently in its developmental stages. This certificate is meant to stand out—it won’t replicate traditional mass communication degrees found at other area universities like Duquesne or Point Park. Instead, those working on it aim to offer something distinctively Pitt—grounded in narrative writing, crossdisciplinary in nature, and responsive to modern media landscapes. The goal is to create a curriculum that includes writing, communication, audio storytelling, and media literacy, according to Dyche.
Though there is currently a Public & Professional Writing certificate (as well as a major) offered in the Department of English, the upcoming journalism certificate will specifically embrace the shifting multimedia news landscape. Dyche, who has experience with audio production, is especially interested in developing a certificate that entails creative nonfiction writing accompanied by podcast curation and visual arts, among other skills. 
“There are so many different angles of journalism that people are recognizing,” Dyche reflected.
The journalism certificate is expected to make its debut within the next two years. Dyche said that, once the certificate takes off and interest grows from students, the curriculum could expand into a major.
Brett Murphy highlighted the need for a specific journalism program at Pitt English, which he thinks has the potential to thrive.
“There’s certainly a need [for young journalists],” Murphy said. “The field is changing a lot. There are so many innovations in journalism these days, from data reporting to different types of investigative reporting. I think it would be really great [for Pitt students] to have those opportunities as undergraduates.”
As the line between literary nonfiction and journalism continues to blur—and as society faces mounting pressure from disinformation, polarization, and shrinking local news coverage—the department is growing to embrace a more impactful role in journalism education. Pitt students, whether they become journalists or not, are still learning to ask questions, listen closely, and report with care. With new storytelling platforms and curricula, the foundation is being laid not just for better student journalists—but for more thoughtful, informed citizens.
—Briana Bindus
Briana Bindus, associate editor for The Fifth Floor, is a rising senior pursuing a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in English Literature and Communication. She believes in empowering all voices, which she aims to do through her passion for journalism.