Elisabeth Fondren

Dr. Elisabeth Fondren is an Associate Professor of Journalism in the Division of Mass Communication at St. John’s University’s Collins College of Professional Studies. She holds a PhD in Media & Public Affairs from Louisiana State University (2018), an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London (2013), and a BA in German and English Philology from Heidelberg University (2012). Her research focuses on the history of international journalism, government propaganda, military-media relations, and freedom of speech during wartime.

Dr. Fondren’s recent publications explore transnational journalism, propaganda analysis, and media ethics in historical contexts. Her work has appeared in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, The Journal of Military History, and Journalism History, among others. She specializes in cultural information warfare, wartime media, and the origins of government-manufactured public opinion.

• 2023 Jean Palmegiano Award for Outstanding Paper on International/Transnational Journalism
• 2021 Covert Award and Maurine Beasley Award
• 2020 Joseph McKerns Research Grant and Jinx Coleman Broussard Award

Dr. Fondren co-chaired the 2025 Joint Journalism and Communication History Conference and serves on the editorial boards of Historiography in Mass Communication and the AJHA Board of Directors. Her teaching interests include political communication, international journalism, and media history.