Bright

ABOUT

Amanda Bright, PhD, MJE, is a clinical associate professor specializing in community journalism, news product innovation, design and pedagogy. She is the managing editor of Grady Newsource, assistant editor and instructor for The Oglethorpe Echo and co-director for the Solutions Journalism Hub for the South at UGA. She is also the director of the Journalism Innovation Lab for the Cox Institute for Innovation, Management & Leadership and consults for the Center for Community News and the Georgia Association of Broadcasters. Formerly, Bright was a professional journalist, freelance editor, web developer and social media director.

View Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology, Indiana State University
M.A., English with Teacher Certification, Eastern Illinois University
B.S., News-Editorial Journalism, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

RESEARCH INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES

Dr. Bright's research focuses on digital journalism along with post-secondary curriculum and instruction. Her dissertation, "Adaptation of Journalism Curricula in the Age of Digital Media: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study of Small Programs," identified both roadblocks and possible action steps for college journalism programs to pivot to digital within their curricular frameworks. Her other research interest is digital storytelling and platforms, particularly as they continue to evolve how news is both crafted and delivered.

TEACHING SPECIALTIES

Dr. Bright’s primary teaching interests are community journalism, design thinking within the context of journalistic products, emerging digital tools for storytelling, along with web development and design for news organizations. She enjoys juxtaposing the essential ideals of local journalism’s role in society with pragmatic training for journalists through new tools, techniques and strategies.

EXPERIENCE

Prior to joining the Grady College, Dr. Bright spent 15 years in print and online journalism as a reporter, photographer, copy editor/designer, page one editor and news editor. She also spent 10 years teaching journalism and advising high school newspapers and yearbooks, as well as speaking and writing about trends in journalism education. At Eastern Illinois University, Bright taught news writing and design, advised the yearbook, and taught online courses for journalism advisers. She also served as media content coordinator for Indiana State University, website administrator and social media director for the Illinois Journalism Education Association, and education editor for MediaShift.

AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIP

• Illinois Journalis Education Association Hall of Fame inductee (2025)

• University of Georgia Teaching Academy Fellow (2019-2020)

• Journalism Teacher of the Year, Grady College (2019-2020)

• PhDigital Bootcamp inaugural class, Knight Foundation and Texas State University (2018)

• Kopenhaver Center Fellow, Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication at Florida International University (2017)

• Teaching News Terrifically in the 21st Century competition adjunct faculty winner, AEJMC's Newspaper & Online News Division (2017)

• Master Journalism Educator, Journalism Education Association (2016)

• Distinguished Secondary Teachers, Northwestern University (2012)