Terril Jones

Visiting Lecturer of Government

Department

Government

Areas of Expertise

China and Chinese Language
China-Japan Relations
France and French Language
Japan and Japanese Language
Journalism
Media Studies
Writing
Kravis Center
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Office Hours

Tuesday, 2:45-4:00pm
Thursday, 2:45-4:00pm
and by appointment

Biography

Instructor, international and political journalism.

I spent 30+ years as a foreign and business correspondent and editor for Reuters, the Los Angeles Times, Forbes magazine and The Associated Press. My assignments included 18 years in Beijing, Paris and Tokyo covering politics, business, bilateral and regional relations, and all manner of domestic issues. I also had postings in New York and the United Nations, in Detroit covering the auto industry, and in Silicon Valley covering technology, primarily PC hardware and microprocessors. I have had reporting assignments in South Korea, Taiwan, north Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara), west Africa (Ivory Coast, Liberia) and around western Europe

My coursework takes students through basic journalism techniques and writing assignments that simulate stories faced by domestic and foreign correspondents: a combination of spot and feature news, politics, business, domestic unrest, diplomacy and national security, defense and international conflict, the environment, natural disasters, ethics and arts & culture, and writing op-eds. I stress story organization, writing leads and learning the universally used Associated Press style. In some semesters we learn techniques for digital media and photography, and there are assignments on writing obituaries and film critiques. I also supervise the Global Affairs Podcasting program, where students produce podcasts on issues of international importance and interest. 

Education

B.A., Pomona College; Knight-Wallace Fellow, University of Michigan (one year); Kiplinger Fellow in Digital Media and Public Policy, Ohio State University (six months)

Awards and Affiliations

Loeb Award finalist, "Asleep At The Wheel" - Ford-Firestone tire crisis, 2000.
AP Managing Editors Award - Tiananmen Square protests, 1989.
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Member: 
Asian American Journalists Association 1989-present
Foreign Correspondents Club of China 2010-2013
Silicon Valley Tech Press Association 2003-2006
International Motor Press Association 1997-2003
Anglo-American Press Association (Paris) 1990-1996
Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan 1983-1990

Research and Publications

"Lessons Learned: A Decade after the Killing of Osama bin Laden" -- Keck Center webinar moderated by Terril Jones (YouTube, April 2021)

Terril Jones on the Expulsion of U.S. Journalists From China​ - April 2020, Asian Experts Forum

Op-Ed: Expelling foreign journalists is a bad idea for both China, United States - March 2020, Los Angeles Times

Tiananmen: When China shifted from solidarity to stability - June 2019, Associated Press

"China Unscripted" podcast on covering the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and crackdown (June 2019)

Memories of Tiananmen Square-1989, as Told (and Photographed) by a Journalist Who Was There - June 2014, Wilson Quarterly

Microsoft's new CEO faces challenges inside and out - Feb. 2014, Nikkei Asian Review

​Nostalgia for Mao Era Lives on 35 Years After His Death - Sept. 2011​, Reuters

Fish Market Shows Tsunami's Human Toll, Economic Cost - March 2011, Reuters

Spying Case Underscores Rivalry of Asian Chip Firms - Jan. 2005, Los Angeles Times

End of the Road for Oldsmobile - Aug. 2002, Los Angeles Times

The Man Who Conquered the Towers (tightrope walker Philippe Petit, 10 days after 9/11), Los Angeles Times

France's Mitterrand Bids Adieu to World Stage - May 1995, Associated Press

Israel's Ice Cream King Eyes Middle East - Nov. 1994, Associated Press

Morocco's King Guides Shaky Path Toward Democracy - April 1994, Associated Press

Defiance Reigns in Liberia Amid Civil War - June 1990, Associated Press

Korean 'Tunnel of Aggression' Reflects Reunification Woes - June 1984, Associated Press