The Trustees of Columbia University have approved Daniel Alarcón’s promotion to full professor at Columbia Journalism School, effective July 1, 2026. An award-winning journalist, author and audio storyteller, Alarcón will hold the title of Godfrey Lowell Cabot Professor of Journalism.
Alarcón joined the faculty in 2014 after serving as an Investigative Reporting Fellow at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. At Columbia, he teaches audio journalism and narrative nonfiction storytelling, including the course “Telling True Stories in Sound.”
“Daniel Alarcón is a pioneering writer, journalist, and audio storyteller. But, just as importantly, he is a gifted professor and mentor to our students. We are very lucky to have him at Columbia Journalism School,” said Duy Linh Tu, Dean of Academic Affairs.
He began his journalism career in 2004, reporting for Latin American publications before contributing to outlets including Harper’s Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, El País and Granta. In 2012, he co-founded Radio Ambulante, the pioneering Spanish-language podcast dedicated to long-form narrative journalism across Latin America.
In recognition of his contributions to journalism and literature, he was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2021 and has also received a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Fellowship, the Maria Moors Cabot Prize and a National Magazine Award.
Alarcón has challenged students to report with greater depth, curiosity and attention to story. Columbia Journalism School congratulates him on this appointment and looks forward to his continued commitment to the CJS community.
