Aly Colón

Aly Colón is the Knight Professor of Media Ethics in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at Washington and Lee University.  Prior to joining Washington and Lee, Colón spent more than 30 years in journalism. He worked for a news service, daily newspapers, public radio, network television and a journalism institute. Most recently, he served as a Director of Standards & Practices at NBC News and Telemundo Network News. He held editing and reporting positions at The Seattle Times, The Everett Herald, The Oakland Press and Fairchild News Service. He also spent a decade teaching professional journalists about ethics and diversity at the Poynter Institute, a global resource in journalism. Editor of Best Newspaper Writing book, more than 400 pages of award-winning journalism used by journalists and university journalism professors. Colón has conducted newsroom training for more than 50 news organizations and has done consulting on diversity, ethics, writing, editing and leadership. He has been a media consultant and independent journalist, and has worked as a corporate communication manager.

Education

• Knight Center Fellowship:  "Paying for Health Care,” seminar, Knight Center for Specialized Journalism, University of Maryland, 1993. 
• Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship:  "A United Germany in a Uniting Europe,” Three-week, journalistic, in-depth European program for U.S. journalists, 1992.
• Atlantik-Brüke Foundation Fellowship. Studied German politics, armed forces and culture. Wrote about the fall of the Berlin Wall and the German aerospace business, 1989.
• American Bankers Association Communications Council Fellowship, Stonier Graduate School of Banking, University of Delaware, 1987.
• American Newspaper Publishers Association Management Development Workshop. Mid-level managers workshop aimed at all newspaper departments, 1986.
• Knight-Bagehot Fellow, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Graduate School of Business, 1982-83.
• National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for professionals focused on ethics involving public responsibilities and private values, University of Kansas, July 1981
• M.A. in journalism from Stanford University, 1975
• B.A. in Journalism, Loyola University, New Orleans, 1974

Teaching

• JOUR 344: Ethics in Journalism
• JOUR 345: Media Ethics
• JOUR 240: Poverty in the Media
• JOUR 295: New Media, Race & Ethnicity

Selected Publications

•  “Dear Media: Here are some tips for covering Donald Trump and the GOP campaign,”The Conversation, Jan. 27, 2016
  
  
•  “The future of diversity in the News,” on ASNE.org, 2012.
  
  
• “Include ethnicity or leave it out?” The Oregonian, April 17, 2010
  
  
• “SABEW: Standing Strong for Ethics in Business Journalism,” AHBJ.org
  
  
• Society of American Business Editors and Writers. March, 2013
  
  
• “Covering Faith Holistically,” Poynter.org, Feb. 25, 2003
  
  
• “WREG-TV Questions Whether to Use Slang in Story about Locksmiths,” Poynter.org, March 6, 2009
  
  
• “Covering the ‘Colorblind’ Generation,” Poynter.org, April 27, 2008
  
  
• “Preying Presbyterians?” Poynter.org, Sept. 17, 2003
  
  
• “Ethics as Craft,” Poynter.org, Oct. 31, 2003
  
  
• “Decoding “Moral Values”“ Poynter.org, Nov. 11, 2004
  
  
• “Reporters Watch Candidates, Viewers Watch Reporters,” Poynter.org, Oct. 25, 2004
  
  
• “Private and Public: What Journalists Reveal About Themselves,” Poynter.org, Oct. 8, 2004
  
  
• “Charging Toward Controversy,”Poynter.org, Sept. 20, 2004
  
  
• “The Ethics of Silence,” Poynter.org, June, 30, 2004
  
  
• “Blogs and Ethics,” Poynter.org, April, 22, 2004
  
  
• “Faith, Not Fear,”Poynter.org, March 26, 2004
  
  
• “Great Journalists Credit Others,”Poynter.org, Jan. 2004

Professional Experience

• NBC News & Telemundo Network News, Miami, FL
  • Director of Standards and Practices, 2012-Aug. 2014
    
    
• Consultant and Independent Journalist
  • Media/Ethics/Diversity, 2010-2012
    
    
• Avanade, Inc.
  • Internal/External Communications Manager, 2008-2010
    
    
• Safeco
  • Diversity Program Manager, 2007-2008,
    
    
• Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg Fl.
  1997-2007
  • Reporting, Writing & Editing Group Leader
  • Ethics Group Leader
  • Director of Diversity Programs
  • Ethics & Diversity Visiting Professional
    
    
• The Seattle Times, Seattle WA
  1991-1997
  • Diversity Reporter & Coach
  • Assistant Metro Editor
  • Assistant City Editor
    
    
• The Everett Herald, Everett, WA
  1983-1991
  • Executive Editor-Economy & Features
  • Economy Editor
  • Assistant Economy Editor
    
    
• The Oakland Press, Pontiac, MI
  1979-1991
  • Assistant Magazine Editor
  • Fighting Inflation Columnist
  • Regional Reporter
  • Business Reporter
• Fairchild News Service
  1977-1979
  • Northwest Bureau Chief based in Seattle.

Professional Memberships

• Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
• Society of Professional Journalists
• National Association of Black Journalists
• National Association of Hispanic Journalists
• Asian American Journalists Association
• Native American Journalist Association