Joel Kaplan is the new ombudsman for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, effective June 1. Kaplan is currently associate dean at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, focused on its new graduate curriculum centered on multi-media storytelling and new media platforms. He has taught classes in news writing, investigative reporting, national political reporting, communications law, ethics and public affairs reporting. He’s also the author of two white papers for CPB that address the role of the ombudsman in achieving balance and objectivity within public media and in social media.
“I look forward to working with CPB to improve transparency throughout the public media system,” Kaplan said in a statement, “encourage greater objectivity and balance in public media programming, and ensure the organization is responsive to audience comments and questions.”
He is a member of the advisory board for the Tully Center for Free Speech and was the first academic elected to the Board of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE).
CPB established the Office of the Ombudsman six years ago (Current, April 11, 2005) as an independent office to inform the board of directors and the president of CPB about concerns related to the public media system. Ken Bode has served as ombudsman since then.