Launched in May 2005, the HuffPost has become an influential media web site covering politics, business, technology, entertainment, and the green movement. It is also a platform for thousands of bloggers who weigh in on a wide range of topics.

Huffington, who writes a nationally syndicated political column for Tribune Media Services, is a frequent television commentator, with appearances on such shows as “Charlie Rose,” “Larry King Live,” and “The O’Reilly Factor.” She is the author of 12 books, including Right is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe.

In 2009, Forbes magazine named her to its list of Most Influential Women in Media. She has also appeared on the Time 100, Time’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

“Arianna is very entrepreneurial, a valuable skill in this brave new world of journalism,” said Dean Stephen B. Shepard.

Huffington will be the CUNY J-School’s third commencement speaker, following award-winning broadcast journalist Bill Moyers in 2008 and Dean Baquet, assistant managing editor and Washington bureau chief of The New York Times, in 2007.

The 2009 commencement will take place at the Times Center in the New York Times building. A reception will follow at the CUNY J-School next door.

Ciara is the immediate past president of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ); Hernandez was a board member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), where she served as a regional director. Their UNITY terms began on Oct. 10, 2009, and will run through Dec. 31, 2010.

UNITY:Journalists of Color is a strategic alliance advocating news coverage about people of color, and aggressively challenging its organizations at all levels to reflect the nation’s diversity. Representing more than 10,000 journalists of color, UNITY is comprised of the Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the Native American Journalists Association.

The weekly column by Beinart, who teaches national political reporting and opinion writing at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, made its debut this week. The column covering politics and foreign policy will appear on Mondays.

Beinart, former editor of The New Republic, joined the CUNY J-School faculty at the beginning of the 2009 fall semester.

The piece refers to Jarvis, director of the J-School’s interactive journalism program, as one of the most ubiquitous digital media gurus despite his “prescription for radical change.”

From the School’s headquarters at 219 W. 40th Street, the producers fan out across all five boroughs of New York City to provide in-depth coverage of the people and issues that move and shake our communities.

The premiere episode focuses on the upcoming local elections. Producers Geneva Sands-Sadowitz and Brian Winkowski examine the financial health of the city and efforts to diversify the economy. Rima Abdelkader takes an intimate look at mounting a first-time campaign. Nicole Turso profiles the youngest member of the City Council and Alana Rigal introduces us to some unorthodox mayoral candidates. Aisha Al-Muslim and John DePetro are the anchors.

Repeat episodes of the premiere will air on Wednesday, October 7 at 3 p.m. and 11 p.m., Saturday, October 10 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, October 11 at 10 a.m.

The J-School group, which includes Dean Stephen B. Shepard, Associate Dean Judith Watson, and Associate Professor Jeff Jarvis, head of the interactive media program, is taking a lead role in the Aspen Institute’s annual Forum on Communications and Society (FOCAS). This year’s theme is Of the Press: Models for Preserving American Journalism.

A key part of the program is Jarvis’s report on CUNY’s ongoing New Business Models for News Project. You can hear his address and follow other conference sessions on the New Business Models for News web site, newsinnovation.com.

According to the Aspen Institute, “the purpose of the Forum is to develop a set of recommendations for leaders in media, government, foundations, community groups, and other societal institutions to sustain the journalistic functions of the press essential to democratic governance through new models, practices and solutions, and to identify new areas of research in the field.”

Kabonero, 29, is managing editor of the Rwandan Independent Media Group (RIMEG), which publishes Newsline, Rwanda Champion, and Umuseso, Rwanda’s leading independent paper. He took over the reigns of RIMEG after his predecessor, Robert Sebufirira, fled Rwanda in 2004 following a series of death threats. RIMEG’s publications are known for their critical reporting on sensitive topics such as corruption, nepotism, and embezzlement within the Rwandan Defense Forces and the ruling RPF party. Kabonero has struggled to keep the operation afloat despite enormous financial and political pressures.

In 2004, Kabonero was tried on criminal charges of defamation and “divisionism” in connection with an article that accused a parliamentarian of plotting to seize power. He was acquitted on divisionism charges and only fined for defamation. He was tried again on criminal defamation charges in June 2007, when he published an investigative report alleging that a powerful businessman embezzled funds, but the prosecution eventually dropped the case.

More recently the media group has faced enormous financial pressure since authorities stripped it and other publications deemed critical of the government of vital advertising revenue. In 2008, top officials also accused RIMEG, which has benefited from grants from international organizations and aid programs, of being in collusion with “external negative forces.” Kabonero was labeled as a threat to state security and told he would be “dealt with properly.”

These comments made Kabonero uneasy but in April 2009 he grew more insecure when he was subjected to a heightened level of surveillance, including a startling incident in which security agents burst into his office while he was meeting with a British embassy official and took photos of them together. He then checked with his government sources who informed him there was talk among official circles of targeting him. In early June, Kabonero fled to Uganda.

Prior to becoming managing editor of RIMEG, Kabonero, worked for two years as senior political reporter at several of its publications and spent one year as a reporter for Rwanda Herald Newspaper. He was born as a refugee in Mbarara, Uganda in 1980 and returned to Rwanda in 1998.

Kabonero has a well established reputation among the freedom of expression community for his dedication to keeping RIMEG and independent media alive in Rwanda, where the Kagame administration has sought to quash critical voices under the of banner of unity. RIMEG runs on a shoestring budget and has seen at least six staff members go into exile in the last five years due to threats.

The International Journalist in Residence program is an initiative between the CUNY J-School and The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). It is designed to establish links between the American journalism community and international journalists forced to leave their countries. Kabonero’s presence will give J-School students a personal perspective on the plight of journalists for whom freedom of the press is a matter of daily struggle.

Under the program, Kabonero will attend classes and get to use the J-School’s research and technological facilities. He succeeds Alaa Majeed, who worked as a translator, reporter, and producer in her native country of Iraq for Knight Ridder/McClatchy’s Baghdad bureau, PBS, Al Jazeera International, The Christian Science Monitor, The Nation, and NPR.

On Sept. 12, the new Encyclopedia of Journalism, which includes the Key Documents volume Lewis edited and wrote, is due out from Sage Publications. The CUNY J-School will host a press party on Oct. 14 to celebrate the international launch of the six-volume reference guide. In addition, Lewis’s promotion to the rank of Professor becomes effective Sept. 1.

As editor of Key Documents, Lewis used a representative sampling of documents to help explain such topics as media and the law, ethics codes, newsroom policies, and journalism education. Assisting him in the selection and modification process was Dr. Consuella Askew, the J-School’s chief librarian.

In addition to the general introduction, Lewis wrote a precis for each section and document, emphasizing how the content fits into a broader journalistic context. “In the end, the hope is to breathe life into the documents and give journalists and researchers a deeper appreciation for the workings of journalism,” he said in the introduction.

Besides his encyclopedia work, in the past year Lewis successfully launched the 39-credit Bachelor of Arts in Journalism degree program he created for York.

Lewis teaches Feature Writing and Narrative courses at the CUNY J-School.

The International Media Institute of India will be run by the Washington D.C.-based International Center for Journalists in collaboration with leading Indian editors, who conceived the idea for the school after they had trouble finding skilled entry-level journalists to hire. ICFJ’s partner is the Society for Policy Studies (SPS), a non-profit Indian think tank that promotes debate on contemporary issues among journalists and concerned citizens and encourages quality journalism training.

The CUNY J-School will assist in creating the curriculum for the one-year postgraduate program, which will give entry-level journalists the professional and technical expertise to work across media platforms. The classroom environment will mimic a newsroom with students reporting and publishing stories. Top-tier international and Indian faculty will instruct the students on how to produce quality journalism for print, interactive, and broadcast outlets.

“In New Delhi, as in New York, journalists need to combine traditional reporting and editing skills with preparation to work in the digital era,” said CUNY J-School Dean Stephen B. Shepard. “We are pleased to be helping the institute develop that world-class curriculum.”

The school will place a strong emphasis on covering economic and social issues facing poor communities, who are often ignored by the mass media. Several scholarships will be available for students in need. All students will receive a laptop computer.

The institute is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

“This new program, with its professional and very practical approach, will meet the demand for high-quality reporters and editors able to use the new array of media tools and techniques,” said ICFJ President Joyce Barnathan.

The ICFJ is a non-profit, professional organization that promotes quality journalism worldwide in the belief that independent, vigorous media are crucial in improving the human condition. Since 1984, ICFJ has worked directly with more than 50,000 journalists from 176 countries.

In a clear sign of CUNY’s growing stature among graduate journalism programs, the most recent applicant pool jumped by 50% this year. The incoming Class of 2010 is up from about 50 students in the J-School’s first two years and 60 this past year.

This growth was accompanied by an increase in both quality and diversity over previous years. The new students have stronger college records, higher GRE scores, and better results on the J-School’s own admissions tests. About 31% come from out-of-state, a big increase. About 20% are graduates of a CUNY or SUNY school. The rest come from a wide array of colleges, many of them “elite” schools – Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, Berkeley, UCLA, Swarthmore, Vassar, Tufts, Smith, NYU, Virginia, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and McGill.

“We managed to increase size and quality while also increasing diversity – an unusual trifecta,” Dean Stephen B. Shepard said. “About 45% of our students are from underrepresented minority groups. As far as we can tell, no other top graduate program does nearly as well.”

The vast majority of the enrollees applied to at least one other graduate school of journalism and many chose CUNY over competing programs.

“I think that’s a remarkable showing,” said Stephen Dougherty, director of admissions & student affairs. “We have clearly connected with journalists from all backgrounds.”

Dougherty attributed the CUNY J-School’s steadily increasing enrollment to its burgeoning reputation as a top-notch program offering both traditional and cutting-edge journalistic training. He also credited the efforts of the entire J-School community during the recruitment period. “Faculty spoke individually to prospective students and allowed them to sit in on classes; current students were immensely generous in sharing their experiences; and alumni invited them to their places of employment,” he said. “These are the things that make a big difference when someone is considering whether to join the School.”