Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Frank Bruni’s classroom has gotten a bit bleak lately. As a professor of the practice of journalism and public policy at Duke University, the longtime New York Times writer often finds himself talking about grim trends: the decline of local news, threats against a free press, and the corrosive nature of political polarization. But Bruni says he’s trying to strike a delicate balance with his students, who need reasons for hope as much as they need a clear-eyed regard for the challenges ahead.
Related Reading
Teaching in an American University Is Very Strange Right Now (nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/college-uncertainty.html) (The New York Times)
Frank Bruni’s newsletter (nytimes.com/newsletters/frank-bruni) (The New York Times)
Higher Ed Has a Trust Problem. Yale Thinks It Has Solutions. (chronicle.com/article/higher-ed-has-a-trust-problem-yale-thinks-it-has-solutions) (The Chronicle)
Guest
Frank Bruni (https://sanford.duke.edu/profile/frank-bruni/) , a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times and a professor of the practice of journalism and public policy at Duke University
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters (chronicle.com/collegematters) . We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
Frank Bruni’s classroom has gotten a bit bleak lately. As a professor of the practice of journalism and public policy at Duke University, the longtime New York Times writer often finds himself talking about grim trends: the decline of local news, threats against a free press, and the corrosive nature of political polarization. But Bruni says he’s trying to strike a delicate balance with his students, who need reasons for hope as much as they need a clear-eyed regard for the challenges ahead.
Related Reading
Teaching in an American University Is Very Strange Right Now (nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/college-uncertainty.html) (The New York Times)
Frank Bruni’s newsletter (nytimes.com/newsletters/frank-bruni) (The New York Times)
Higher Ed Has a Trust Problem. Yale Thinks It Has Solutions. (chronicle.com/article/higher-ed-has-a-trust-problem-yale-thinks-it-has-solutions) (The Chronicle)
Guest
Frank Bruni (https://sanford.duke.edu/profile/frank-bruni/) , a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times and a professor of the practice of journalism and public policy at Duke University
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters (chronicle.com/collegematters) . We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
