PROFESSOR

Diane Winston

Knight Chair in Media and Religion

Diane Winston holds the Knight Chair in Media and Religion at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. A national authority on religion and the media, her expertise includes religion, politics and the news media as well as religion and the entertainment media. A journalist and a scholar, Winston's current research interests are media coverage of Islam, religion and new media, and the place of religion in American identity.

TEAM MEMBERS

Benjamin Gottlieb

Online Journalism

Benjamin Max Gottlieb is a multimedia journalist and photographer based in Los Angeles, California. His work has been featured in a variety of news outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, CNN International, CNN's "Business 360" blog, NBC Los Angeles, KCET.com and the Santa Barbara Independent, among others. He is currently a graduate student at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, pursuing an M.A. in Online Journalism, and serves as the Executive Editor of NeonTommy.com — a 24/7 online-only news publication. He is also the art director of InTheFray.org, an online magazine that explores global issues with personal perspectives and critical analysis. An avid backpacker and self-proclaimed troubadour, Benjamin is constantly exploring new ways to tell stories.

Jason Kehe

Print Journalism

Jason Kehe is a writer and editor based in Los Angeles. He is currently finishing his B.A. in Print and Digital Journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism and is the Online Book Editor at Los Angeles magazine. He has spent the past four years writing and reporting on L.A. arts and culture, with a special focus on theater. His work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Jewish Journal, Daily Trojan and Neon Tommy.com, where he served as Senior Arts Editor for two years. Jason also studies neuroscience and film.

Elise Hennigan

Multimedia Journalism

Elise Hennigan is a multimedia journalist who covers art, culture and globalization. She is currently working toward a Master's degree at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Adriana Janovich

Print Journalism

Adriana Janovich is an Annenberg Fellow in the specialized journalism program at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. She's interested in reporting stories about education, immigration, youth, religion, lifestyles and social issues.

Dan Carino

Political Cartoons

Dan Carino is a political cartoonist, visual journalist, and multimedia producer based in Los Angeles, California. He is currently pursuing an M.A. in Specialized Journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Megan Sweas

Online Journalism

Megan Sweas is an Annenberg Fellow studying the intersection of religion and politics in USC's Specialized Journalism program. She previously covered political and social issues as associate editor of U.S. Catholic magazine, where she also managed the website. After graduating from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, she spent a volunteer year at Free Spirit Media, a non-profit youth media organization on Chicago's West Side.

Emily Frost

Broadcast Journalism

Emily Frost is a radio reporter and online journalist. She is an Annenberg Fellow at USC's Annenberg Graduate School for Journalism and a host and the Executive Producer at Annenberg Radio News. She is currently a reporter for DNAinfo.com in New York City. Previously, Frost worked in online media, radio, and documentary film in New York City. She is a graduate of Wesleyan University.

Laura Nelson

Print Journalism

Laura J. Nelson is a reporter based in Los Angeles whose work has appeared in a variety of news outlets, including the Boston Globe, the St. Petersburg Times, the Los Angeles Daily News and the Kansas City Star. Laura has spent the last three years covering local news in Los Angeles, and will spend summer 2012 as an intern with the Los Angeles Times. She is in her last semester at the University of Southern California, where she is pursuing a B.A. in Print & Digital Journalism and a minor in French. Someday, she hopes to report from somewhere in the Francophone world. Laura believes everyone has a story worth telling.

Arezou Rezvani

Print Journalism

Arezou Rezvani is currently an editorial assistant for NPR's Morning Edition in Los Angeles and a Dean's Scholar at the University of Southern California Annenberg Graduate School of Journalism. Arezou also serves as a project associate at the Knight Digital Media Center, an organization that provides New Media training for journalists at all levels. Previously, Arezou was an educational outreach coordinator for an Emmy Award-winning independent film company in Berkeley, where she developed an outreach strategy around the documentary "Our Summer In Tehran," a film that touches on themes of cultural diplomacy, inter-faith dialogue and U.S.-Iran/U.S.-Muslim relations.

Jennifer Whalen

Broadcast Journalism

Jennifer Whalen is a born storyteller. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Kansas in Strategic Communications and her Master of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism from USC Annenberg. Her education has helped in her career as a television and radio reporter, anchor and producer. She is currently a producer/reporter at Fox 5 KSWB-TV in San Diego.