Kathleen Bartzen Culver

Director, School of Journalism and Mass Communication; Professor; James E. Burgess Chair in Journalism Ethics; Director, Center for Journalism Ethics

kbculver@wisc.edu

Katy Culver headshot

Education

Ph.D. University of Wisconsin – Madison, 1999

M.A. University of Wisconsin – Madison, 1992

B.A. University of Wisconsin – Madison, 1988

Areas of Research

Media ethics, media law, First Amendment, free expression, digital technologies

Research Impact

Long interested in the implications of digital media on journalism and public interest communication, Professor Kathleen Bartzen Culver’s research aims to advance integrity in media.

Culver’s current work explores First Amendment and free speech and press on campus, particularly in times of protest and conflict. She focuses on the tensions between expression rights and the responsibilities of public communicators. Other recent work examined emerging technologies, such as virtual reality, drones and sensors, and how their use in news affects both ethics and journalism’s relationship with the public.

As an integrated scholar at UW-Madison, Culver focuses on how to draw together strands from research, teaching and service to influence other researchers, practitioners, students and the public. The Center for Journalism Ethics, of which Culver is the director, has been an important vehicle for her work, engaging hundreds of people through annual conferences, public panels, training sessions and other appearances. Recent efforts have focused on ethics and artificial intelligence, climate journalism, and centering equity.

Culver is widely recognized for her curricular innovations, including the School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s gateway course, J202: Mass Media Practices, which arms students with the concepts and skills necessary to approach disrupted media industries with adaptability, critical thinking and integrity. She regularly trains other communications educators through her work with the Journalism Educators Institute and the Center for Journalism Ethics. She has won multiple awards for her teaching, including the Scripps Foundation Journalism and Mass Communication Educator of the Year and UW-Madison William H. Kiekhofer Distinguished Teaching Award.

Recent Publications

2024. “A skills-driven approach to diversity, equity and inclusion in journalism curricula.” Journalism Practice.

2023. “‘Anti-riot’ or ‘anti-protest’ legislation? Black Lives Matter, news framing, and the Protest Paradigm.” Journalism and Media.

2023. “Student activism vs. student journalism: Racial justice, free speech, and journalism ethics in college newspapers.” Journalism Practice.

Recent Awards and Honors

2021: Scripps Foundation Journalism and Mass Communication Educator of the Year Award.

2020: William H. Kiekhofer Distinguished Teaching Award. Campus-wide award bestowed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

2011: Alliant Energy Underkofler Award for Excellence in Teaching, University of Wisconsin System.

Recent Grants

Evjue Foundation and Craig Newmark Philanthropies, recurring grant awards to support work of Center for Journalism Ethics

Courses

J563: Law of Mass Communications

J825: Law and Ethics of Media