Quick Facts
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Chris Allen (born 1956) is a professor in the College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). A Fulbright scholar, he has lectured on investigative journalism and freedom of the press in Afghanistan and Oman.
Education and career
Allen graduated from Iowa State University with a BA in journalism and mass communication in 1979, and began his career as a news reporter for KASI Radio in Ames, Iowa, and worked at KRNT in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1985, he returned to Iowa State, and was awarded a master's degree in 1987. He received a PhD in journalism from the University of Missouri in 1996. He served as an associate professor at the University of North Dakota School of Communication from 1987 to 1992, and in 1996 Allen began teaching at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
In 2010, Allen taught at the University of Kabul Center for Afghanistan Studies and School of Communication. Funded by a grant from the US State Department to help develop the university's journalism program, Allen's students included undergraduates and educators. In addition to teaching journalism skills such as how to shoot video and how to write a TV script, Allen lectured on the role of social networking in the modern media and the importance of investigative journalism in the United States. In 2011-2012, he taught at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Oman as a member of the mass communications faculty and spoke at the first annual US Fulbright Conference at the US Embassy in Oman.
Allen is the general manager of UNO Television, and a member of the board of directors for the Omaha Press Club. He served previously as the organization's president.
Personal life
Allen, who grew up in Oskaloosa, Iowa, writes about his teaching and traveling experiences for the online journal Unheralded Fish. He and his wife Elaine have two children.
Selected publications
- Allen, Chris W.; Lipschultz, Jeremy Harris; and Hilt, Michael L., "Local Television Journalism: Developing Ethics through Discussion" (2001). Communication Faculty Publications. Paper 61.
- Allen, Chris W.; Lipschultz, Jeremy Harris; and Hilt, Michael L., "Ethics in Local Television Newsrooms: A Comparison of Assignment Editors and Producers" (2002). Communication Faculty Publications. Paper 47.
