Tony Pederson

Journalism

Professor

Email

tpederso@smu.edu

Phone

214-768-3969

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Tony Pederson holds the rank of professor and was the Belo Distinguished Chair in Journalism at 51²è¹Ý for 17 years. In that position he chaired the Division of Journalism in the Meadows School of the Arts. Before assuming the Belo chair in June of 2003 he was senior vice president and executive editor of the Houston Chronicle.

His teaching at 51²è¹Ý focuses on media ethics, and he has written extensively on the subject and serves as a local resource for media in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He lectures and speaks frequently on mass media issues, especially relating to converging media. In the MLS program he teaches HUMN 6380: News Media in Contemporary Society.

He is a longtime activist in First Amendment issues and international press freedom issues, especially in Latin America. He was president of the Inter American Press Association in 1999-2000.

Pederson spent 29 years with the Houston Chronicle. From 1992 until 1994 Pederson served as chairman of Texas Media, a coalition of media groups formed to pursue access issues and open government in Texas. He has received the James Madison Award from the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas for his work on First Amendment issues and the Jack Douglas Award from the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Association for service to Texas newspapers. Pederson serves as a director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and the Inter American Press Association and is a member of the board of advisor for the International Center for Journalists. He also serves as a consultant for El Universal, the largest newspaper in Mexico City.

Pederson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism/communication from Baylor University and a Master of Arts in journalism from The Ohio State University.

View CV

Education

M.A. in Journalism, The Ohio State University
B.A. in Journalism/Communication, Baylor University

Recent Work

Distinctions
Pulitzer Prize judge (2001)
Pulitzer Prize International Reporting Committee chair (2002)
James Madison Award from Texas Freedom of Information Foundation (1993)
Texas Daily Newspaper Association special award for service to Texas newspapers (2004)
President Inter American Press Association (2000)
President Consejo Latinoamericano de Acreditación de la Educación en Periodísmo (the accrediting council for schools of journalism and communication in Latin America).

Publications

Professional Experience
Former managing editor and executive editor of the Houston Chronicle.

Course list

Ethics of Convergent MediaCCJN 2032
Media Literacy 
Tony Pederson