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Jill Olmsted Associate Professor Journalism

Additional Positions at AU
Team member, Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Former Chair, University Senate
Member, Sexual Harassment Workshop
Degrees
BA Journalism, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; MA Journalism and Public Affairs, American University

Bio
Jill Olmsted is a full-time professor of Journalism and the former Journalism Division Director. She is the author of Tools for Podcasting (2019), teaches podcasting and advised the AU law school on creation of a podcast. She worked as an on-air television and radio news anchor, reporter, and editorialist as well as a producer, editor, photographer, and news manager for stations around the country. She covered local, national and international news events on issues that included national political conventions, the Pope’s U.S. visit, U.S. Open Golf Championships and a terrorist attack in Israel. She also worked as a Washington, D.C. correspondent for nationally syndicated programs, covering the White House and federal agencies. She also provides media training for law enforcement and government agencies and writes about media issues.
See Also
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

Teaching

Spring 2024

  • COMM-305 Digital Skills

  • COMM-420 Topics in Mass Media: Podcasting Tools & Techniques

Summer 2024

  • COMM-420 Topics in Mass Media: Podcasting Tools & Techniques

Fall 2024

  • COMM-385 Digital Audio & Podcast Prod

  • COMM-724 Reporting of Public Affairs

Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities

Selected Publications

  • "Tools for Podcasting," Open Textbook Library, University of Minnesota   
  • "Writing To Video,"  New York, St. Martin's Press   
  • “Broadcast News Writing & Reporting”  New York, St. Martin's Press. Ch. 16 "Collecting Information from Documents"  
  • "Fox-Reuters News Service,"  The Communicator, Radio-Television News Directors Association 
  • "The Short Life of Radio Editorialist," The Masthead, The Quarterly Journal of the National Conference of Editorial Writers   
  • "Blindman’s Bluff," Researcher on CHICAGO TRIBUNE newspaper series made into a book and documentary   
  • "Health Care or Scare?"  The Communicator,  Radio-Television News Directors Association  
  • "Feeding Frenzy,"  The Communicator, Radio-Television News Directors Association  
  • "Rep. Bill Sarpalius-New Subcommittee Chairman Still Teaching Agriculture," Cotton Commentary, National Cotton Council of America   
  • "Friends of Ed Share Tales," The Communicator, Radio-Television News Directors Association  
  • "Fairness Doctrine: Beast or Benefactor?" The Masthead, The Quarterly Journal of the National Conference of Editorial Writers
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Media Appearances

       
  • The Presidential Debates, SNL Financial 
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  • Death of Adjunct Faculty Member in India, Fox 5 News  www.youtube.com/watch
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  • Meet the Press Host David Gregory, SNL Financial
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  • Mary Cheney’s privacy sparks a journalism debate, chron.com,
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  • Media coverage of Scooter Libbey Trial  WUSA TV
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  • Ruppert Murdock buying the Wall Street Journal, Sky News
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  • ABC News Response to wounding of anchor Bob Woodruff. Hollywood Reporter, Reuters  
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  • Entertainment Weekly, ABC News, Yahoo News
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  • Benjamin Ladner, WAMU-Radio,  Gazette Newspapers
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  • Cell Phone video, WRC-TV
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  • Internet News, WRC-TV   

Recordings

       
  • Voice overs for PSA’s for the National Association of Broadcasters
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  • Washington Correspondent, WGN-Radio "WEEKEND FARMING AMERICA," syndicated.   
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  • Editorialist: WRC-AM Radio, Washington, D.C.
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  • Audiocassette: "Vocal Expressiveness"  Writer, voice talent; audio training tape for news voice delivery 

Honors, Awards, and Fellowships

       
  • Woman of Achievement Award, Toledo, Ohio chapter, Women in Communications
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  • Crystal Award, Best Television Feature Reporting. Toledo, Ohio, chapter, Women in Communications
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  • Noblitt School Bell Award,  Best Television Education Reporting in Ohio
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  • School Bell Award, Outstanding education reporting, The Minnesota Education Association
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  • AP Spot News Award, Continuing coverage of the Sandra Karnes murder trial 
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  • Proclamation: "Jill Olmsted Day," by Mayor Donna Owens, Toledo, Ohio
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  • Proclamation: Ohio Senate, 117th General Assembly of Ohio, in recognition of outstanding service
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  • Proclamation: Ohio House of Representatives, 116th General Assembly of Ohio, congratulations
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  • Resolution: Children's Miracle Network Telethon, Medical College of Ohio, For service, Co-host
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  • Jack Jurey Scholarship, The American University, Washington, D.C.

Multimedia

Executive Experience

       
  • Journalism Division Director, School of Communication, American University, Washington, D.C.
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  • Associate Division Director, Weekend Program Director, School of Communication
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  • Chair, University Senate, American University
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  • Member, University Council, American University
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  • Member, Middle States "Leadership, Governance and Administration Task Force, American University
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  • Evaluator, APEL (AU Gateways), American University
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  • Member, Sexual Harassment Advisory Committee, American University
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  • Member, Governance Task Force, American University
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  • Assistant News Director, KCCO-TV, Alexandra, MN.

AU Experts

Area of Expertise

Broadcast and online journalism, news media criticism

Additional Information

Before her faculty appointment in 1989, Jill Olmsted pursued a career that included stints as a Washington correspondent for WGN-Radio/TV, Chicago; an anchor and a reporter for WTOL-TV, Toledo, Ohio, an anchor for KCCO-TV, Alexandria, Minnesota, and a producer and news writer for KARE-TV, Minneapolis, Minn. For eight years, she hosted Ask Tom Harkin,featuring Iowa senator Tom Harkin, from the studios of the U.S. Capitol for Iowa TV stations. Olmsted provides media training for federal and local law enforcement agencies and has conducted seminars for the Pentagon, Voice of America, Meridian House International, and the U.S. State Department, as well as for international media professionals. She is the author of Exercises in TV News Storytelling,producer of Writing to Video, and a contributor to Vocal Expressiveness and Broadcast News Writing & Reporting. Olmsted has written for newspapers and professional and trade journals, including the Chicago Tribune,the Seattle-Post Intelligencer,the RTNDA Communicator, the Masthead—the Quarterly Journal of the National Conference of Editorial Writers,and Cotton Commentary, the American Senator. She was a researcher for the Tribune newspaper series that led to the book Blind Man's Bluff, the Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage,a Top-10 bestseller that was made into a televised documentary.

For the Media

To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

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