Terry L. Parris Jr.

Terry Parris Jr. is an engagement journalist with more than 15 years of experience working with newsrooms, libraries, universities, community groups and the public on ambitious storytelling projects. He’s dedicated to cultivating community-centered storytelling and fostering meaningful engagement with the subjects and communities he works in. He currently serves as Public Square Editor for Headway, an initiative by The New York Times.

Before joining Headway, Terry was the Engagement Director at THE CITY where he launched several of its most impactful — and award winning — community-driven projects including The Open Newsroom, Civic Newsroom and MISSING THEM. Terry served as a deputy editor at ProPublica, where he was part of the team that was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting. He currently teaches at Queens College (City University of New York) and advises students at the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Reporting at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Additionally, Terry is pursuing a master's degree in Library and Information Science at the Pratt Institute, focusing on public engagement and programming.