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Former CNN Bureau Chief Becomes University Professor
By Elena Barbre
Frank Sesno, former senior vice president and Washington, D.C., bureau chief
for CNN, has joined the George Mason University faculty as University Professor
of Public Policy and Communication.
Sesno will teach an undergraduate special topics course on media bias in the
Communication Department this fall. Next spring, he will teach a graduate course
in the School of Public Policy as well as a course on current issues for the larger
university community. In addition to teaching, Sesno will hold a series of forums
on journalism, the media, and public policy, and host regular on-air town meetings
on GMU-TV.
"Frank Sesno's interest in increasing diversity in the newsroom fits in perfectly
with the direction of our Electronic Journalism minor and Journalism major," says
Cindy Lont, chair of the Communication Department. "We expect to put together
some exciting events and bring production students into the real world of television
with his help."
Sesno also is collaborating with the university and WETA-TV to develop a weekly,
local 30-minute public affairs series that would combine the reach and mission
of public television with the intellect, expertise, and diversity the university
has to offer.
"I see this as an opportunity to drill down and look at some key issues in
public policy and journalism - to make a difference on matters of policy and media,"
says Sesno. "George Mason University was especially attractive to me because of
its entrepreneurial nature and the opportunities it presents for serious academic
pursuit. I'm looking forward to working with the students and hope to bring to
George Mason my passion for quality journalism along with public and academic
engagement."
"Frank opens a new window on the world for George Mason," says Milt Peterson,
a longtime friend of the university who serves with Sesno on the Board of Trustees
of Middlebury College. "While media has been his work, interaction with leaders
and doers has been his life. In my 20 years as a trustee at Middlebury, no other
trustee has earned the level of respect and affection from the entire community - especially
from the students and faculty - than Frank has. He will be an important asset for
George Mason."
At CNN, Sesno supervised the network's largest news-gathering team and was
responsible for the editorial direction of Washington coverage, including the
White House, Congress, the Pentagon, and the State Department. He also covered
national issues and politics as a reporter, analyst, and anchor for CNN and hosted
the network's weekend public affairs program, "Late Edition with Frank Sesno,"
for seven years. He won an Emmy for coverage of the 1993 floods in the Midwest.
Before serving as CNN's Washington bureau chief, Sesno was executive editor of
the Washington bureau, anchor of "The World Today" and "International Hour," and
a White House correspondent. He came to CNN in 1984 from Associated Press Radio,
where he was an overseas correspondent in London and a White House correspondent.
"The media play a very important role in public policy - not only in reporting,
but in developing and articulating public policy priorities," says Kingsley Haynes,
dean of the School of Public Policy. "Sesno has been both a reporter and a senior
executive in one of the country's top news outlets, and his perspective will be
a valuable asset for our students."
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