The former director of UT’s School of Journalism and Electronic Media and current professor is retiring at the end of January after a career that spans decades across several different countries.

Dr. Peter Gross has taught in UT’s School of Journalism and Electronic Media for the past 12 and a half years and acted as the School’s director from 2006 to 2016. Prior to teaching at UT, Gross’s career had seen him traveling across the world, lecturing on journalism. Despite the variety of the countries Gross has taught in, he stresses that it is ethically important that the core lecture content remain consistent.

“It’s very important that we tie whatever lectures we do internationally on journalism to the notion of a working democracy,” Gross said. “A working democracy is based on liberal values, so the outcome of your presentations is based on what journalism is and how to perform it in a democratic society … If you begin to tweak your lectures on the subject to adapt to a particular country, then you’re really unmooring the values that you ought to be talking about from a liberal democracy.”

One example of his lecture abroad includes Gross being the keynote speaker at a Polish Communication Association conference where he spoke about the media and the path to democracy and European integration.

Gross has also seen several changes to the platforms by which journalism is executed during his life, such as the advent of the internet. While these changes do affect the format that gets taught, Gross said, they don’t really impact the core principles of the industry.

“The internet is a platform, no different than television or print media,” Gross said. “If we’re going to practice journalism on the internet, it shouldn’t lose the basic ethical principles that serve a liberal democracy. ”

Gross added that the experience gained in student media such as The Daily Beacon is instrumental in helping young journalists build their career early on.

“As individual faculty members, we have always tried to help students understand that the sooner they get their hands dirty, so to speak, the better,” Gross said. “You get more practice reporting and doing your writing, so the better off you’ll be. It’s not only a manner of getting practicums or internships, and ultimately it serves you well throughout your career to start as early as possible and accumulate as much experience on the reporting and writing side as possible.”

Gross also gave some parting words of advice to journalism students seeking to enter the industry, including to read as much and as widely as possible, so as to improve their writing and increase their understanding of different topics. He also encouraged students to understand the ethics of journalism.

“It’s very important that they familiarize themselves with how to do ethics in this field,” Gross said, “They need to internalize the fact that good journalism is an intrinsic part of liberal democracy, and you endanger that democracy when you practice unethical journalism.”

Current director of the School of Journalism and Electronic Media Dr. Catherine Luther remarked on Gross’s retirement, thanking him for his service and contributions to the school.

“I thank Peter for all of the contributions he made to the School of Journalism and Electronic Media during his time as school director,” Luther said. “His international connections were especially helpful in setting up new exchange agreements with academic institutions in Europe. Although he has retired, I am sure he will continue to generate valuable research and have an impact on our understanding of global media and politics.”