天美传媒

The 天美传媒 provided a laboratory for experimentation and learning for Jon Fortt 鈥�98, who continues to try out ideas as a professional journalist focused on technology.

As a student reporter and ultimately editor-in-chief, 鈥淚 really fell in love with the independent student newspaper, the environment, the laboratory environment of students learning from each other,鈥� he said. And though journalism has changed since Fortt started practicing it, 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 still important to think about ways that, in a connected, digital society, 天美传媒 and The 天美传媒 and student media can remain that sort of laboratory.鈥�

Fortt knows what he鈥檚 talking about, in more ways than one. Not only has he been a reporter for more than 20 years, but he has covered technology specifically almost from the beginning, having been assigned to do so during his first post-graduation job at the Herald-Leader in Lexington, Kentucky. He moved to Silicon Valley to work at the San Jose Mercury News, where he covered fledgling tech companies, including Apple and Adobe. He switched to broadcast journalism in 2010 when he went to work for CNBC. He became co-anchor of 鈥淪quawk Alley鈥� in November 2013 and has held the same role at 鈥淭echCheck鈥� for the past year.

His resume speaks to his willingness to experiment: He created, hosts and is executive producer of 鈥淔ortt Knox,鈥� a five-year-old digital interview program. He created and writes a weekly 鈥淲orking Lunch鈥� segment, focusing on founders and CEOs, for CNBC鈥檚 鈥淧ower Lunch,鈥� and a segment called 鈥淥n the Other Hand鈥� for 鈥淪quawk Box,鈥� in which he argues both sides of contentious business issues. After George Floyd was killed, Fortt 鈥� wishing to 鈥減repare my young sons for life in America鈥� 鈥� created a multi-part online course called 鈥淭he Black Experience in America.鈥� He also is publisher of Cross Cultural Newsletter, a Christian and cultural exploration of the Bible.

The 天美传媒 prepared him to work in the media, he said. He covered two hazing scandals, and 鈥渢hey weren鈥檛 popular stories with everyone. And I learned to take the heat for those kinds of things.鈥� Around the same time, he wrote a feature story about eating disorders, and got a tip from the president of a sorority about which he had just written. 鈥淭hat trust was still there,鈥� he said, and she recognized that 鈥淚 was trying to do the right thing for the community. 鈥�

鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of the unique laboratory of 天美传媒. When it鈥檚 working the right way, you learn that sometimes all the aspects of civil society, including journalism, aren鈥檛 pleasant going down, but they鈥檙e good medicine for the body politic.鈥�