Mickey Huff has accepted a position as the Distinguished Director of the Park Center of Independent Media (PCIM), based at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. In addition, he will also serve as Professor of Journalism at the College’s Roy H. Park School of Communications. Huff will continue on as the Director of Project Censored and President of the Media Freedom Foundation. “It is an honor to join the prestigious Park Center for Independent Media, and I am especially excited to begin my dual role as director at both Project Censored and PCIM. To be in a position of leadership at two of the most dynamic organizations fighting for independent media and promoting critical media literacy education is an opportunity of a lifetime,” says Huff.
Huff answered a nationwide call for a new director at PCIM. He quickly stood out for his work as a professor at Diablo Valley College, where he also recently served as the chair of the Journalism Department; his major role in developing Project Censored into one of the foremost advocates for independent media; his extensive writing and publishing history in the field; and his long-time anti-censorship activism. One of Huff’s tasks during the first year in his new role is to develop and teach a general course on critical media literacy that will be open to all students at Ithaca College. He will also spearhead a number of exciting initiatives and synergize the work of Project Censored and PCIM to develop new ways of championing independent media and critical media literacy education at a time when the United States needs both more than ever.
“Everyone connected to the Park Center for Independent Media is overjoyed that Mickey Huff has been selected to be the new director of our center. PCIM celebrates independent journalists who uncover difficult truths — just as Project Censored has done for nearly 50 years. The two projects are kindreds. Mickey brings great experience and knowledge to PCIM, and we are thrilled that the advocacy work he has long performed for independent journalism and media literacy at Project Censored will continue unabated in his new role,” says Jeff Cohen, founding director of the Park Center for Independent Media.
Launched in 2008 by Cohen and funded by a generous endowment from the Park Foundation, PCIM is a center at Ithaca College for the study of media outlets that create and distribute content outside traditional corporate systems. PCIM’s mission is to engage media producers and students in dialogue and action about independent media, especially U.S.-based outlets producing content (across single- or multiple-content platforms) on issues such as equity, social justice, and sustainability. At Project Censored, Huff has long worked to fulfill a similar mission. This new leadership opportunity with PCIM marks a critical new chapter in the ongoing struggle for a free and fair press that serves the interests of the public, rather than elites or the corporate sector.