
Caryn Ward
(She/Her)
Associate Professor
Caryn Ward is an associate professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School. She is also the master’s project/thesis director for journalism students.
Ward teaches graduate and undergraduate students in all facets of multimedia journalism, but her specialty is video storytelling and newscast production. Prior to joining the faculty she spent more than 25 years in television newsrooms as a reporter, editor, executive producer, managing editor and news director. Most recently Caryn worked as executive producer for WBBM-TV, CBS in Chicago, where she oversaw reporters, photographers, and editors for the station’s daily 10 p.m., 6 p.m. and 5 p.m. newscasts. Prior to that, she worked as executive producer for WGN-TV’s morning news. Caryn has a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She has won five Emmy awards for television coverage, four of them for breaking news. She lives in River Forest, Ill., and is the mother of three adult sons.