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.
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