Peter Bhatia

Peter Bhatia serves as Professional-in-Residence in the Department of Journalism at Pennsylvania State University's College of Communications. A Pulitzer Prize-winning editor with over four decades of experience, he previously led major news organizations including Houston Landing (CEO), Detroit Free Press (Editor and VP, 2017-2023), and The Oregonian (Editor, 2010-2014), where he became the first journalist of South Asian heritage to helm a major U.S. daily newspaper.

His educational background includes a B.A. in history and communications from Stanford University (1975).

Bhatia's expertise spans Journalism with specialized focus on News Editing, Digital Media Transformation, Journalism Ethics, and Diversity in Media. His career demonstrates consistent innovation in digital journalism advancement and ethical newsroom leadership, particularly through non-profit local news initiatives and diversity advocacy.

His distinguished recognition includes:

• Benjamin C Bradlee editor of the year (2020)
• Gannett’s employee of the year (2022)
• Robert McGruder Diversity Award (2018)
• Gerald M. Sass award for journalism education (2022)

As a leader in journalism education, Bhatia served 13 years as president of the national journalism accrediting body (ACEJMC), conducting over 30 accreditation reviews globally. His academic contributions include developing ethics curricula and shaping accreditation standards across the U.S., Middle East, and New Zealand.