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

Biography

Instructor, international and political journalism.

I have spent more than 40 years full-time in journalism -- 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 writing techniques and assignments as if they are foreign and domestic correspondents: 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.

I am fluent in Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and French.

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

Kiplinger Fellowship in Digital Media and Public Policy, Ohio State University, 2008 (two quarters)

Knight-Wallace Fellowship, University of Michigan, 1995-96 academic year.

Loeb Award finalist, "Asleep At The Wheel" - Ford-Firestone tire crisis, 2000.

 

AP Managing Editors Award - Tiananmen Square protests, 1989.

 

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

Xi Jinping, Joe Biden meet at APEC  -- WION-TV, Nov. 14, 2023)

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

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

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

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

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

and by appointment
Thursday 4-5 p.m.
Tuesday 4-5 p.m.