Alison Bethel-McKenzie (born January 12, 1966) is an American-born journalist who is founding editor-in-chief of State Affairs. She was previously vice president of corps excellence at Report for America. She was the first woman and first person of African origin to head the International Press Institute.
In September 2021, Bethel-McKenzie married journalist John X. Miller Jr. in Washington, D.C., and returned to using her maiden name. She is now referred to as Alison Bethel.
Biography
Bethel has over 25 years experience in journalism, as a reporter, bureau chief, senior editor and trainer, and is often cited in discussions about press freedom. She has been a guest lecturer or visiting professor at a number of colleges and universities, including the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media in Bagalore, India; and Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. She has twice sponsored the Sadiq Press Freedom Award, conferred each World Press Freedom Day, on May 3, 2015, and May 3, 2017, by the Rural Media Network Pakistan.
Bethel served as director of the International Press Institute from 2010 to 2015 and the first American, first woman and first African American to reach this position since its foundation in 1950. Before joining the International Press Institute (IPI) in August 2009, she spent a year in Accra, Ghana, for the Washington, D.C.–based International Center for Journalists a Knight International Journalism Fellow, helping Ghanaian journalists improve their reporting skills in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election.
On April 29, 2019, Bethel resigned as the Society of Professional Journalists' executive director after 13 months.
On April 22, 2019, Bethel joined Report for America as its director of corps excellence. She officially began working with the organization on May 20 and was promoted to vice president in January 2021.
She is a contributor to Ms Magazine. and National Geographic Magazine.
References
- "State Affairs Announces Its Founding Editor-in-Chief Alison Bethel".
- Rudavsky, Shari. "Katrice Hardy named Indianapolis Star executive editor, USA TODAY Network regional editor". Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ Zephyrine, Brent (2017-08-16). "Alison Bethel-McKenzie She is woman". The Trinidad Guardian Newspaper. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- "Alison Bethel McKenzie". america.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
- U.S. Consulate General Chennai (2017-05-05), World Press Freedom Day: Stop Online Harassment, archived from the original on 2021-12-15, retrieved 2017-08-12
- "RMNP Confers 2017 Sadiq Press Freedom Award Posthumously on journalist Gulzar Ahmed Chaudhry". ruralmedianetworkpk.org. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
- IPIatFreemedia (2012-05-03), Message from IPI Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie on World Press Freedom Day 2012, archived from the original on 2021-12-15, retrieved 2017-08-12
- "Free and Fair: A Journalist's Guide to Improved Election Reporting in Ghana - English | ICFJ - International Center for Journalists". www.icfj.org. Archived from the original on 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
- "Alison Bethel McKenzie named Society of Professional Journalists executive director". www.spj.org. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
- "SPJ Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie resigns". www.spj.org. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
- Prest, M.J. (2021-01-22). "Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Picks New President". Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- "Alison Bethel McKenzie, Author at Ms. Magazine". msmagazine.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- "Bruce's Beach was stolen a century ago. It's finally been returned". National Geographic Society. 27 June 2022. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022.