Audio Journalism

The Audio Journalism specialization emphasizes rigorous reporting, technical expertise, teamwork, creativity, innovation and developing strong narratives, whether for short news reports on live radio or for longform podcasts and documentary.


In our first-semester introductory course, Fundamentals of Audio Reporting, students learn the foundations of writing and reporting for the ear, as well as the basics of sound recording and editing in ProTools. Over the next two semesters, they can choose courses in Audio Documentary, Advanced Audio Reporting and Newswriting, Narrative Podcast Production, Audio News Magazine Production, Field Recording, Sound Design, Vocal Performance for Radio and Podcast, The Art of the Audio Interview as well as Special Topics courses in emerging trends in audio journalism. Students working toward a specialization in Audio Journalism must complete a minimum of nine credits of audio journalism course work in addition to the required audio fundamentals course in their first semester.

Our professors combine top-notch editorial and production skills with a passion for education and innovation. They are award-winning professionals at the top of their fields who report, produce, edit and write for leading radio and podcast companies including Futuro Media, NPR, WNYC, and Reveal.

Stories produced in our classes have aired on Latino USA, WHYY’s The Pulse, WNYC News, Planet Money, Marketplace, BBC Radio, NPR News, Pacifica, and CBS Radio. Our in-house news magazine, AudioFiles, has won dozens of Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence awards and Associated Collegiate Press Awards since 2012. Our students’ narrative podcast and documentary work has been honored by the Third Coast/Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition and the Online News Association awards.

Our award-winning alumni now host, produce, report and edit throughout the public and private radio system and podcast industry.

maggieFreleng

Student and Alumni Work

Check out our students’ Audio Documentaries, Narrative Podcasts and AudioFiles, our live-to-tape radio news magazine. And follow us on SoundCloud or subscribe to our podcast to listen to more student work from audio courses.

Here are some highlights of recent work and achievements by our audio alumni and students:

  • Maggie Freleng, ’15, was awarded the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting as host and producer of Suave, a podcast by Futuro Media. 
  • Lisa Hagen, ’11 was awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting as co-host of the investigative podcast No Compromise
  • KalaLea, ’16, hosted and produced Blindspot: Tulsa Burning, a collaboration with the History Channel, WNYC Studios , KOSU and Focus Black Oklahoma. In 2022, KalaLea and the Tulsa Burning team were awarded a duPont Columbia Journalism Award, two Webbys for Best Series and Best Writing, as well as a NAACP Image Award. They were also nominated for a Peabody Award. 
  • Melanie Marich ‘24 and Sajina Shrestha ‘23 premiered their audio documentary We Will Not Stop, We Will Not Rest as an official selection at the Tribeca Festival in June 2024.
  • Alana Casanova-Burgess ’10 is the host and producer of the bilingual (Spanish/English) narrative podcast series La Brega: Stories of the Puerto Rican Experience, a co-production from WNYC Studios and Futuro Studios.
  • Yessenia Moreno ’21 won first place for Radio: In-Depth Reporting at the 2022 SPJ regional Mark of Excellence Awards for her AudioFiles story Healthcare Proxies in the Time of Covid about a New York woman’s fight for the right to become her best friend’s health care proxy after he was hospitalized for COVID-19. 
  • Sean Carlson ’12 was named host of All Things Considered on WNYC in February 2021.
  • Suzannah Cavanaugh ’20 is the co-host and producer of Deconstruct, a podcast from The Real Deal. She was also nominated for Best New Artist by the 2021 Third Coast/RHDF Awards for a documentary she produced as a Newmark student about restaurant workers during covid lockdowns in the spring of 2020.

Right: Maggie Freleng ’15 (Photo: David Doobin)

Our Faculty

Contact Us

Do you have a question about the Audio Journalism specialty? If so, please contact us.

Kalli Anderson
Director of Audio Journalism