Barbara Barnett

Classes: Research and Writing, Media and Society

First year at KU: 2003

Degrees: BA, English, Pembroke State University; MA, English, Duke University; PhD, journalism and mass communications, University of North Carolina

“If you can tell a good story, you can be a good journalist.” — Barbara Barnett

By Brandi Garvin, student

Barbara Barnett ran into a small problem when she started school. She wanted to major in journalism, but the only school in North Carolina that had a journalism program was the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Barnett could not afford the tuition. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from Pembroke State University in North Carolina.

Journalists are the modern storytellers, Barnett says, so studying literature was a logical link to journalism.

Barnett continued to study literature when she received her master’s degree from Duke University. Her master’s thesis, a collection of short fiction stories, explored women’s experiences. It was named the best in the department at Duke.

Barnett finally realized her dream of studying journalism at Chapel Hill. It came much later than she had planned. In 2003, she received her Ph.D. in journalism and mass communications from the University of North Carolina. Her thesis focused on the presentation of women, especially violent women, in the media.

“I still love literature,” Barnett says. “If you can tell a good story, you can be a good journalist.”

Barnett had years of practice at telling stories. Before receiving her Ph.D., she spent 11 years as a reporter at the Charlotte News and the Charlotte Observer newspapers. She later worked in medical communication for 15 years and was often sent overseas to work with journalists, scientists and women’s advocates.

Barnett flew to Zimbabwe in Africa on one of her favorite trips. She wasn’t happy about the assignment because she was filling in for someone who backed out of the trip at the last minute, but as soon as she stepped on the soil, she was converted. She says she could have lived there forever.

One of her most vivid memories was visiting a wild animal reserve. She remembers distinctly the trees with yellow flowers that the natives called scrambled egg trees. It was like the Garden of Eden, Barnett says, and much different from a zoo.

“Zebras ate lunch with us,” she says.

She was also sent to Kenya and Egypt to work with scientists and women’s groups to talk about and study AIDS and family planning.

Back in the states, Barnett needed a change. She came to Kansas and fell in love.

“I still miss the beach,” she says, “but I love the prairie too.”

Barnett says she really enjoys working with students. She taught at the University of North Carolina for two years before returning to school for her Ph.D. She says making the decision to come to Kansas wasn’t hard. She knew the School of Journalism was looking for someone who could teach journalism and culture. In her first semester, Fall 2003, she taught Research and Writing and Media and Society, with Associate Professor Charles Marsh.