Sotomayor Named IJJ Senior Fellow

LOS ANGELES, June 8, 2006 – Award-winning journalist and editor Frank O. Sotomayor has been named a senior fellow of the Institute for Justice and Journalism (IJJ) at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication.

Sotomayor worked at the Los Angeles Times for 35 years in various editing positions, including 18 years as an assistant Metro editor. He was co-editor and a writer of the landmark Times series "Latinos in Southern California," which won the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

Sotomayor also serves as an adjunct professor and writing coach at USC Annenberg’s School of Journalism.

“Frank Sotomayor brings IJJ a rich array of talent and experience as an award-winning editor, journalism educator and longtime leader of efforts to bring racial diversity to news media,” said Steve Montiel, director of the Institute for Justice and Journalism. “His expertise will enable us to improve and expand resources for journalists, educators and students.”

Sotomayor will work with Montiel and Los Angeles-based senior fellows Marc Cooper, Joe Domanick and Victor Merina to develop programs and materials to strengthen the news coverage of issues involving social justice.

Among his professional activities, Sotomayor was a co-founder of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education and the California Chicano News Media Association. In 2002, he was named to the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

He received a B.A. in journalism from the University of Arizona and a master's degree in communication from Stanford University. He was a Nieman Fellow and studied at Harvard University during the 1985-86 academic year.

USC Annenberg’s Institute for Justice and Journalism was created with Ford Foundation funding in 2000. Past fellowship programs and conferences have focused on criminal justice, racial justice and immigration-border justice. Additional information is at www.justicejournalism.org.

Located in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, the USC Annenberg School for Communication is among the nation's leading institutions devoted to the study of journalism and communication, and their impact on politics, culture and society. With an enrollment of more than 1,900 graduate and undergraduate students, USC Annenberg offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in journalism, communication, public diplomacy and public relations. For more information, visit www.annenberg.usc.edu.