Jan Thompson

Jan Thompson is a tenured Professor and Director of the School of Journalism and Advertising at Southern Illinois University, where she has taught since 2000. As the first female permanent Director in the school's 78-year history, she leads academic programs while maintaining an active creative career spanning documentary filmmaking, journalism, and live production.

Her research centers on historical narratives, particularly the American prisoner-of-war experience under Imperial Japan during World War II, explored through documentary trilogies like Survival Through Art (2018). She also investigates cultural traditions through works such as Food For The Ancestors (definitive study of Mexican Día de Muertos) and the PBS Hidden Journeys series on global food cultures across India, China, Mexico, South Korea, and Turkey.

Thompson's creative output demonstrates interdisciplinary convergence of journalism, history, and digital media, with recent pandemic-era work including multi-camera live-streamed operas for the Chicago Opera Theater and New York Met Opera Guild. Her student group alt.news has earned 31 Emmy Awards under her advisement.

Professional accolades include:

• Emmy Award for Original Music
• Emmy Award for Directing
• Emmy Award for Writing
• 31 Professional Emmy Awards (alt.news)
• 7 First Place College Awards (alt.news)

She advises student group alt.news since 2000, guiding its production of award-winning content. Her industry collaborations span the Michael Jordan Foundation (sports PSAs), Valhalla Media, and national broadcasts of The Tragedy of Bataan on PBS/NPR.