LSU’s Manship School Names Will Mari, Ph.D., to Faculty

June 24, 2019

Baton Rouge, LA –Will Mari, Ph.D., will join LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication for the fall 2019 semester as an assistant professor of media law. Mari most recently taught mass communication and journalism courses at Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, where he served as the program lead, facilitating the work of 75 communication majors, advising the school’s newspaper and overseeing the departmental internship program. He brings a robust background in journalism and public relations, and he currently serves as a lieutenant and public affairs officer in the United States Navy Reserve.

“We are so thrilled to welcome Dr. Mari to our team here at the Manship School. His reporting, public affairs and teaching background, along with his research interest in the history of technology and journalism, will fit well with our strong media and public affairs focus,” Martin Johnson, dean of the Manship School, said.

Mari earned his Ph.D. in communication from the University of Washington, his MPhil in historical studies from the University of Cambridge, and two bachelor’s degrees – one in communication and journalism and the other in history – from the University of Washington.

Recently Mari published a book on the history of the computer in the American newsroom from 1960 through 1990 (A Short History of Disruptive Journalism Technologies) and is currently working on a sequel that focuses on the commercial internet and the media industry from 1990 through 2010. His additional research interests include the transition from analog to digital technology in journalism and the impact it had on the everyday lives of people working in the news industry. Mari has authored numerous papers on unionization in newsrooms, telephone and mobile reporting, business-newsroom divides and more. Mari also helps run the Journalism History Podcast.

Mari is the recipient of numerous academic awards and grants, serves as a reviewer for several communication and journalism publications, and is an active member of many professional and academic organizations, including the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, where he serves as the research chair of the History Division.

For more information, contact smalin@lsu.edu. 

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LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication ranks among the strongest collegiate communication programs in the country, with its robust emphasis on media and public affairs. It offers undergraduate degrees in public relations, journalism, political communication, digital advertising and pre-law, along with four graduate degree programs: master of mass communication, Ph.D. in media and public affairs, certificate of strategic communication, and dual MMC/law degree. Its public relations students were recently ranked the #1 team in the nation, and its digital advertising and student media teams frequently earn national recognition.