As my dreams changed, my goal to tell stories that move people always remained
This essay was originally published as a guest column in The Cross Creek Chronicle, a…
Eric Deggans is NPR’s first full-time TV critic, also serving as media analyst and guest host, appearing on all the network’s shows, including “Morning Edition,” “Here & Now” and “All Things Considered,” writing for NPR.org and appearing on podcasts such as “Consider This,” “Life Kit” and “Pop Culture Happy Hour.” He also serves as an adjunct instructor at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and Indiana University’s Media School, while also serving as a guest instructor and member of the National Advisory Board for the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida. He has also served as guest host/interviewer for a range of TV shows and events, from CNN’s media analysis show “Reliable Sources” to the entertainment industry podcast and radio program on Los Angeles NPR member station KCRW, called “The Business.” In April 2024, he was inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame, joining a roster of journalists that includes “60 Minutes” correspondent Steve Kroft, C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb, “CBS Sunday Morning” anchor Jane Pauley and NPR colleague Steve Inskeep. In 2019, Deggans served as the first African American chairman of the board of educators, journalists and media experts who select the George Foster Peabody Awards for excellence in electronic media. He came to NPR in September 2013 from the Tampa Bay Times newspaper in Florida, where he served as TV/media critic and in other roles for nearly 20 years. He is author of a book dissecting media and race called “Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation,” published in October 2012 by Palgrave Macmillan. He also joined a prestigious group of contributors to the first ethics book created by the Poynter Institute for journalism’s digital age: “The New Ethics of Journalism,” published in August 2013, by Sage/CQ Press. Through his experience and published work, Eric has developed expertise as a thought leader on issues of race, media, politics, journalism, communication, systemic oppression, social and health inequities and more.
This essay was originally published as a guest column in The Cross Creek Chronicle, a…
As a recent member of the conga line of guest hosts for CNN’s media-analysis show…
When a Florida jury pronounced George Zimmerman not guilty in the shooting death of unarmed…
Besides forcing government and national-security institutions to face the public about their spying efforts, Edward…
Celebrity chef Paula Deen’s tearful interview on NBC’s "Today" show Wednesday morning doesn’t seem to…
As media coverage of George Zimmerman’s murder trial begins this week, we already know a…
In early May, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie killed a spider during an event with…
The Tampa Bay Times’ fact-checking site PolitiFact has drawn another heated rebuke from MSNBC anchor…
What big media gives, it can take away just as quickly. That’s the feeling in…
Ask if Robert Lipsyte is going to be particularly critical as ESPN’s new ombudsman, and…
Name It. Change It. For many years, some media critics have insisted that press coverage…
It may have been the the oddest 90 minutes of my media-watching life courtesy of…
For me, reports of a phone call to CNN anchor Anderson Cooper about taking Matt…
If this is one of the first steps in rehabbing "Today Show" star Matt Lauer’s…
Despite his history as an aggressive and sometimes fiery advocate, outgoing CNN analyst Roland Martin…
Get the Poynter newsletter that's right for you.