Beth Bennett
Professor and Associate Dean of Journalism
Beth Bennett is associate dean and professor of journalism at Medill. She is an award-winning producer and reporter with more than 15 years of experience in broadcast television news and video production. Her experience spans many areas of television news, including on-air reporting, studio/booth producing, and field producing. Since leaving the broadcast industry, she has worked in short-form video production and independent documentary film work.
In 2009, Bennett produced her first documentary "Under the Ice," which showed at the Chicago United and St. Louis International Film Festivals. It aired on WTTW (PBS), Twin Cities Public Television and Wisconsin Public Television. In 2011, Bennett produced “Kindred," which also aired on WTTW and won a Chicago/Midwest Emmy. Her 2012 short film "Spin" screened at the Toronto Hot Docs Festival and made it to the semi-finals for the International Documentary Race.
Prior to joining Northwestern’s full-time faculty in 2006, Bennett worked as an on-air reporter for TV stations in Chicago, Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Traverse City. Bennett has covered major disasters, politics, crime, education and entertainment. She worked as a freelance reporter/anchor for Tribune-owned CLTV. Her reports were also broadcast on WGN-AM. Bennett has worked as a freelance producer for the following shows: “CBS Early Show” and the NBC reality series “Starting Over.”
In addition to her work at Medill, Bennett introduces journalism principles to STEM researchers through The Graduate School's research communication fellowship program, Ready Set Go. Interview strategies, narrative techniques and presentation skills are some of the topics she teaches during this interdisciplinary 10-week program. She also teaches in Northwestern’s Master of Product Design and Development Management program.