Jan Leach
Jan Leach, director of the Media Law Center for Ethics and Access, is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State. She is also an Ethics Fellow at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersberg, Fla.
Before joining the faculty at Kent State, Jan was editor and vice president of the Akron Beacon Journal for five years. During her tenure, the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists named the Beacon Journal “Best Newspaper in Ohio” three times. As editor, Jan and her staff coordinated coverage of the Sept. 11 attacks, including publishing an “Extra” edition, and launching the “Fire Truck Fund” that raised more than $1.3 million for new safety equipment for the New York City fire department.
Jan came to Akron from the Cincinnati Enquirer where she had been managing editor for nearly five years. She also was managing editor at the Phoenix Gazette, city editor at The Arizona Republic, and held various reporting and editing positions at newspapers in Cincinnati, Findlay and Fostoria, Ohio.
She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University and a master’s in journalism ethics from Kent State.
Jan is a member of Society of Professional Journalists, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, the Akron Press Club and the American Society of Newspaper Editors.
