Susan Keith

A former journalist, Susan Keith studies the evolving nature of journalism in periods of transition and conflict. She uses qualitative and quantitative methods to examine journalistic content, especially visual coverage of war and conflict; journalistic practice, including ethical, legal, and professional norms; and journalism education. She is particularly interested in visual journalism, digital media law, and the work lives of journalists.

She is the co-editor of “Teaching Journalism Online: A Handbook for Journalism Educators” and editor of the forthcoming “Teaching Communication, Volume III: Media and Journalism.” Her research has appeared in journals such as Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Journalism Studies, Journalism, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, and Visual Communication Quarterly, among others.

Keith served as past president of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication from 2022 to 2023, after serving as president from 2021 to 2022, president-elect, and vice president. Within SC&I, her leadership includes service as associate dean for programs, chair of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, and coordinator of the Digital Media track in the master’s program. She teaches media law at the undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. levels, and courses in editing and design and digital media law and policy. Her honors include being named an Emerging Scholar by AEJMC and a Page Legacy Scholar by the Arthur W. Page Center at Penn State University. Before pursuing her Ph.D., she spent 16 years as a reporter, copy editor, and page designer at daily newspapers in Alabama and Florida.

Ph.D., Journalism and Mass Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.A., Journalism Studies, University of South Florida
B.A., English, University of Montevallo

Social Media & Society Cluster