Biography

While completing his undergraduate degree at Temple University, Linn Washington never imagined that one day he would teach here. As a Temple undergraduate his desired career path was TV news, working either as a field director or a foreign correspondent. But his career has taken him through newspapers (daily, alternative and ethnic) in a variety of posts, from police beat reporting to executive editor. It also included a fellowship at the Yale Law School, where Washington earned a master’s degree and his serving as special assistant to the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Though he never worked as a TV news director, he has worked as a foreign correspondent, reporting from four of the world's seven continents.

The education Washington received at Temple equipped him with skills he needed to succeed in life. At Temple he acquired excellent instruction in journalism techniques, plus intangibles like building self-confidence and resourcefulness. Perhaps the most valuable lesson he learned at Temple was the value of hard work—a lesson that has paid dividends in- and outside the workplace.

Washington teaches courses in investigative reporting, journalism law and multimedia reporting and news writing. He co-created the department’s innovative Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab (MURL). For eight years, he also directed and co-directed PhiladelphiaNeighborhoods.com, the department’s capstone class. Student work in that urban reporting–focused class earned nearly three dozen regional and national journalism awards during his time with that program, as well as Best Practices recognition from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Washington also continues to work as a professional journalist for news entities (print and online) across the U.S. and in Europe, for which he has been recognized with awards. He frequently serves as an expert commentator, including appearances on CNN and the BBC World Service. He has directed study abroad programs for Temple’s School of Media and Communication in London and South Africa.

Recognizing how Temple University contributed to his career advancements, he considers it an honor to serve his alma mater as a professor.

Courses Taught