Kat Chow Named Newsday/David Laventhol Visiting Assistant Professor of Journalism

Journalist, writer and author Kat Chow has joined Columbia Journalism School as the Newsday/Laventhol Visiting Assistant Professor of Journalism for the 2025–2026 academic year.

Chow brings deep expertise in longform storytelling and audio journalism to the J-School classroom. She will teach Reporting alongside Aida Alami, James Madison Visiting Professor on First Amendment Issues, and a Written Word seminar focused on first-person magazine writing.

During the Spring semester, Chow will lead Telling True Stories in Sound, guiding students through the craft and power of audio storytelling.

A former reporter at NPR and a founding member of the Code Switch podcast, Chow has contributed to The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, New York Magazine’s The Cut and Radiolab, among others. Her critically acclaimed memoir, Seeing Ghosts, was named a Notable Book by The New York Times and was a finalist for the Connecticut Book Award.

“In a time of exceptionally volatile current events on a local, national and global scale, I'm eager to work with student journalists to wrestle with the real-world questions and issues that we face today,” said Chow. 

Chow is also a contributor to Pop Culture Happy Hour and Slate’s Culture Gabfest, and has hosted Slate’s The Waves. She has received literary residency fellowships from Storyknife, Millay Arts and the Jack Jones Literary Arts Retreat. She has taught and spoken about her work in cities around the world, including Amsterdam, Calgary, Karachi, Minneapolis, Louisville, Boston and Seattle. Most recently, she served as the 2024–2025 Jenny McKean Moore Writer-In-Washington at The George Washington University.

The visiting professorship is named for famed journalist, editor and publisher David Laventhol. Under his leadership, the publication Newsday received four Pulitzer prizes during the 1970s and 1980s. From his work at The Washington Post, Newsday, The L.A. Times and other publications, Laventhol is remembered for his keen eye for finding resonant and powerful stories in unexpected places, and for his personal character, which blended humility and a desire for excellence.