Henrichsen ’07 named Andrew Carnegie Fellow for research shaping the future of journalism
By Britt Board
Assistant Director of Communications
“To strengthen democracy and journalism, more people need to step up, have courage, and fight for the values underpinning both.”
That’s the vision driving Dr. Jennifer R. Henrichsen ’07 — and it’s one she’ll pursue as a newly named 2025 Andrew Carnegie Fellow. A PLU alum, Henrichsen credits PLU with sparking her interest in journalism research and giving her, as she puts it, “the intellectual foundation and global perspective” that continues to shape her work today.
Henrichsen, an assistant professor at Washington State University’s (WSU) Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, is one of just 26 scholars nationwide selected for the prestigious fellowship, which includes a $200,000 award to support research in the social sciences and humanities.
Her project, “Assessing Local Journalism Fellowships to Reduce Political Polarization”, explores how embedded civic reporters can build trust, meet communities’ critical information needs, encourage civic engagement, and decrease political polarization. All of this unfolds against a backdrop of widespread disinformation and information overload, where many Americans feel uncertain about which sources they can trust.
The project will study the impact of programs like WSU’s Murrow News Fellowship, which places early-career journalists in local newsrooms across the state. “Washington state is a leader in supporting local news,” she says, pointing to the Murrow Fellowship as a model. “If my findings demonstrate a positive impact,” she adds, “this will be compelling evidence to expand embedded journalism programs in other communities and states across the nation.”
Henrichsen’s interest in journalism took root at PLU, where she traveled to Geneva, Switzerland for a UN internship and faculty-student research project. “During my time at the UN, I realized that journalists were being shot and killed for their reporting around the globe. This shocked me and led to my initial research…to better understand how to protect journalists.”
That eye-opening experience grew into an international career in journalism studies, with more than 30 publications including three books; multiple fellowships, including a Fulbright Research Scholarship; and work with organizations like UNESCO, Yale Law School’s Information Society Project, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Media, Inequality & Change Center.
Henrichsen credits PLU with helping lay the foundation for her career. “I have long appreciated PLU’s focus on viewing life as a journey and not a destination,” Henrichsen reflects. “Not all universities emphasize finding your vocation and leading lives of thoughtful inquiry and care … but PLU does so in an authentic way.”
“I have long appreciated PLU’s focus on viewing life as a journey and not a destination,” Henrichsen reflects. “Not all universities emphasize finding your vocation and leading lives of thoughtful inquiry and care … but PLU does so in an authentic way.”
As she embarks on her Carnegie research, Henrichsen sees this moment as a call to action, and a callback to the questions of purpose and vocation she first explored at PLU. “A measure of success for me is whether I am studying research questions that will have an impact on improving journalism, and by extension, democracy.”
With public trust in media at a crossroads, her teaching and research aims to restore journalism’s role in doing just that.
Looking ahead, she hopes students will take an active role in shaping that future. “I would encourage students to rise to meet the moment,” she says. “I’d encourage students to be engaged in the world by subscribing and consuming quality journalism … and defining their moral compass to help anchor themselves amidst polarizing political winds.”