University of Michigan-Flint

Contact Michael Lewis for more information.

We focus on multimedia storytelling in a hyperlocal context. So, you have to ask questions and gather information. And you have to write—with words, pictures, video, audio and graphics.

Cutting-edge: We’ll help you keep up with technology, and trends in the journalism profession, so you’ll be able to file your stories for print, broadcast, online and even mobile formats.

Real-world experience: Our faculty all have extensive experience as professional journalists. Our students complete internships at professional news outlets.

Start writing: Our campus newspaper, The Michigan Times, is an award-winning publication that always needs student reporters and editors, and the friendly staff will gladly help to train you. It’s a great way to get involved with student life and issues on your campus.

View program requirements

Michael Lewis

“As a former Mike Wallace Investigative Journalism Fellow at the University of Michigan, I’m proud to bring a journalism degree back to Michigan,” said Mike Lewis, who will direct the program. "A strong understanding of ethics and a commitment to community marks the new journalism undergraduate major program at the University of Michigan-Flint. I am delighted that the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences have approved this exciting program that will advance journalism in our city, region, and state," said Interim Chancellor Jack Kay. The program will offer students the choice of either a major or minor in journalism. It will be situated in the Department of Communication and Visual Arts, within the College of Arts and Sciences. The program was proposed in response to student requests. For years, students in the media studies track of the communication degree program have asked for more journalism courses. Local news media, including The Flint Journal, have endorsed the proposal.

"It is important that we cultivate and train the next generation of journalists, and I strongly believe that a journalism program at UM-Flint would help meet that need," wrote Journal Editor Tony Dearing. "It's exciting to create a new journalism program at such an historic time in the profession,” said Lewis, a former reporter and anchor at WDIV-TV4 Detroit who earned his Ph.D. in media studies at Wayne State University. Lewis also reported for The Detroit News and Booth Newspapers, and did freelance reporting for the Associated Press Radio Network from the former Soviet Union. He is the former journalism director at Oakland University and is currently an assistant professor at UM-Flint and faculty advisor to The Michigan Times. "Instead of teaching students to work as newspaper or TV reporters, our focus is online journalism because that’s where almost everything is happening in the world of news,” Lewis said. “But we will also focus on the basics of covering community news, for two simple reasons: community news media remain strong, and the need for people to know what’s happening in their communities has never been stronger.” The program has been approved by the faculty and administration at UM-Flint, and the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan, a nonprofit group that seeks “to advocate higher education as a public good and to promote its collective value in serving the public interest and the State of Michigan.”

Christofer Machniak

Christofer Machniak holds an undergraduate degree in journalism from Michigan State University. He spent more than 11 years at The Flint Journal, working as a reporter and an editor before leaving in May 2009 to pursue a career in teaching journalism and writing at the college level.

As a lecturer, Machniak has taught news editing and online journalism at the University of Michigan-Flint and feature writing at Eastern Michigan University. This semester, he is teaching news editing online at UM-Flint and digital journalism at EMU.

Machniak also is pursuing a master's degree in English from UM-Flint and serves on the board that oversees UM-Flint's student-run paper, The Michigan Times. He resides in Hartland Township with his wife and daughter.

Bill McMillan

Bill McMillan has been an award-winning journalist for 32 years, the last 23 at The Detroit News serving as news editor, deputy city editor, sports editor and finally assistant managing editor. Before that he was a reporter and editor at the Brighton Argus, managing editor of the Courier/ Enterprise newspapers in East Lansing and city editor and columnist at the Port Huron Times Herald. He holds an undergraduate degree in journalism from Wayne State University, where he teaches news writing and news editing. As a lecturer, McMillan has taught sports writing at the University of Michigan-Flint and will be teaching it again this fall. He is enrolled in the Master of Liberal Studies program at UM-Flint. McMillan resides in Port Huron with his wife and has four grown children.

Ed Bradley

Ed Bradley has more than 30 years of experience as an editor and reporter. He spent most of his 20 years at the Flint Journal (through 2007) as assistant features editor and entertainment editor.

He owns a Master of Liberal Studies degree in American culture from UM-Flint and a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University. The author of two books on early cinema, he is associate curator of film at the Flint Institute of Arts.

Bradley teaches news writing at UM-Flint and English composition at Baker College-Flint. He lives in Grand Blanc with his wife and two sons.