William Freivogel

William Freivogel is Professor in the School of Journalism and Advertising at Southern Illinois University (SIU). After a 34-year career at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch—including 12 years in its Washington bureau and later as deputy editorial-page editor—he joined SIU and served as Director of the School of Journalism from 2006 to 2014. He continues to teach, research, and lead investigative journalism projects.

Education:

• J.D., Washington University in St. Louis, 2001

Research & Teaching Focus:

Freivogel concentrates on the intersection of journalism, media law, and public affairs & policy. His work explores how journalists can strengthen democratic accountability, how First Amendment law shapes newsroom practices, and how race and policing are covered in the media.

As publisher of the Gateway Journalism Review he oversees award-winning investigative projects that involve SIU students in covering issues of race and justice. These projects have earned national recognition including the ABA Silver Gavel Award and the National SPJ Award.

Major Honors:

• Pulitzer Prize finalist, 2002
• Sigma Delta Chi top award, 1991
• Sidney Hillman Award (shared)
• Benjamin Franklin Award, 1987
• ABA Silver Gavel Award, 2015
• National SPJ Award, 2020
• St. Louis Media Hall of Fame inductee, 2022

Advising & Grants:

Freivogel mentors undergraduate and master’s students through the Gateway Journalism Review, supervising in-depth reporting projects that have garnered additional grant support from legal and journalism foundations. He is frequently invited to speak on media law panels and contributes op-eds on constitutional issues.

Labs & Teams:

He leads the editorial team of the Gateway Journalism Review, a hybrid newsroom-classroom lab where students collaborate with professional editors on investigative stories of regional and national significance.