Jacob Kushner, '13 M.A. Politics, Named Newsday/Laventhol Visiting Assistant Professor of Journalism

International journalist and author, Jacob Kushner, '13 M.A. Politics, has joined the Columbia Journalism School faculty as the Newsday/Laventhol Visiting Assistant Professor of Journalism. He will teach reporting and long-form magazine writing in the fall semester.

July 30, 2024

Kushner writes stories that focus on ordinary people, illuminating how their lives are shaped  - and misshaped -  by the privileged and the powerful.

His career as a foreign correspondent began in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. There, he conducted award-winning investigations exposing illegal deportation schemes and fraudulent foreign aid.

For nearly a decade, he has reported from Nairobi as an Overseas Press Club fellow with the Associated Press. He covered the Al-Shabab Westgate Mall terrorist attack and most recently, witnessed protests under fire in the capital city.

“In Nairobi, where I live, police shot tear gas at a reporter and arrested journalists who were attempting to inform the public about Kenya’s violent crackdown on unarmed civilians, which left at least 23 people dead,” said Kushner. “Meanwhile, Kenya’s government threatened to shut down a TV news station and appears to have imposed an internet blackout to prevent the public from learning the truth.”

Kushner is a graduate of the School’s M.A. Politics program. His master’s thesis, China’s Congo Plan, was published by the Pulitzer Center and favorably reviewed in the New York Review of Books. 

“The fearless work of journalists here and around the globe speaks to the importance of training the next generation, and I’m grateful for the chance to be a part of that at Columbia this fall"

Jacob Kushner, ’13 M.A. Politics

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.