Duck

About: Jennifer Duck, Ph.D., is an Emmy-winning journalist and clinical associate professor specializing in community journalism, academic-industry collaborations, and the impact of social media on news and public understanding.

View Curriculum Vitae

Education

Ph.D., Rhetoric, Communication and Information Design, Clemson University
M.S., Mass Communication, Murray State University
B.S., Mass Communication, specialization in Mass Media and Politics, Miami University

Teaching

Multiplatform Journalism, Newsource

Research Interests and Experience

Dr. Jennifer Duck is a two‑time national Emmy–winning journalist and educator. Her work bridges community journalism and academic research through experiential learning. Prior to her academic roles, Jen was a producer with Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, and Oprah Winfrey and worked as a reporter and multimedia journalist for ABC News.

At ABC, Jen traveled aboard Air Force One as the sole TV pool reporter during several historic visits, including President Bush and President Vladamir Putin’s final meeting in Sochi, Russia, as well as President Bush and Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko’s final meeting in Kyiv. These meetings later informed her doctorate work. She was also an embedded multimedia journalist on the Obama and McCain presidential campaigns, responsible for filming, writing, editing, producing, and reporting live across ABC’s digital and broadcast platforms.

Jen continued producing news and long‑form content with ABC, and later with CNN, through 2019. She was also a reporter and anchor at the NBC affiliate in Bakersfield, California, where she covered community issues affecting rural populations in the Central Valley.

Jen’s academic research focuses on online disinformation and the role of media bridging divides within polarized environments. As a dedicated journalist and content creator, she continues to write, edit, and produce podcasts, feature stories, and award‑winning documentaries in collaboration with her students, whose work has been recognized by the Associated Press and NPR and featured on PBS, the Documentary Channel, and at international film festivals.

Awards & Fellowships

• Knight Foundation Center for Community News Faculty Champion, 2023-2025.
• Belmont Data Collaborative Senior Data Fellow, 2023-2024.
• Belmont Accelerator for Social Innovation Collaboration Grant, 2023.
• Presidential Faculty Achievement Award Finalist, Belmont University, 2023.
• Nashville Film Festival, Tennessee International Indie Film Festival, and International Black Film Festival winner, Exit 207, The Soul of Nashville, 2023.
• NPR College Podcast Challenge Honorable Mention, 2023.
• Northern Ireland Travel Grant, Belfast/Good Friday “Agreement 25” Conference, Queen’s University, 2023. 
• Fisk-Belmont Social Justice Grant, 2022.
• Clemson University Interdisciplinary Research Fellowship/Grant, 2022.
• Switzerland International Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, and New Creators Film Award Nominee: How Did We Get Here? Nashville Surviving, 2020.
• Emmy Award Winner: Finding Hope: Battling America’s Suicide Crisis, CNN Anderson Cooper 360, 2019.
• Associated Press Award Winner: Exclusive: Mayor Megan Barry Discusses Son’s Overdose, Opioid Dangers on College Campuses, Vision News Network, 2019.
• Associated Press Award Winner: TV Sports Reporting, Vision News Network, 2019.
• GLAAD Award Winner: Pulse Nightclub Shooting, CNN Anderson Cooper 360, 2016.
• Distinguished Alumna Award, Miami University, 2016.
• Newport Film Festival Winner: Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking - Environmental, Last Call at the Oasis, Participant Media, 2012.
• Emmy Award Winner: Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current New Story, The Inauguration of Barack Obama, ABC News, 2009.
• National Press Foundation Paul Miller Fellowship, 2006.
• Associated Press Award, Best Feature, NPR affiliate WMUB, 2004.