John Craft didn't think he'd spend 42 years teaching broadcast journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. After taking the job in 1973, he thought he'd teach for a few years, then return to working in the broadcast world.
"But it didn't happen. I was very happy doing what I was doing, very happy teaching in the university," he said. "And I thought, yeah, this is where I want to be, this is where I want to stay."
As Craft reflects on a long career at Arizona State University, he says part of the reason his position has been so appealing is seeing the students succeed. And part of the reason he has been able to help them succeed is by keeping his hands in the "real world" of broadcast news, and bringing those evolving lessons into his classrooms. See more of Craft looking back on his career and the Cronkite School in this video feature on the veteran faculty member.
In the upcoming spring semester, Craft is teaching JMC 437: Documentary Production and JMC 410: Turning Points in TV History.
More Law, journalism and politics
New online certificate prepares grad students for complex challenges of US democracy
If United States politics in the 2020s have revealed anything so far, it’s that the U.S. has a complex history with ramifications that still powerfully resound today. In order to help students…
Reporting live from Paris: ASU journalism students to cover Olympic Games
To hear the word Paris is to think of picnics at the base of the Eiffel Tower, long afternoons spent in the Louvre and boat rides on the Seine. Competitive sports aren’t normally top of mind.However…
Exploring the intersection of law and technology
Editor's note: This expert Q&A is part of our “AI is everywhere ... now what?” special project exploring the potential (and potential pitfalls) of artificial intelligence in our lives. Explore…