Alum credits online master's for article on Russian propaganda

Two-time UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media graduate John Frank '04, '16 (M.A.) credited the school's online master's program with preparing him to analyze more than 200,000 Russian propaganda tweets for a Feb. 19 Denver Post article. The article connected Russian Twitter content to Colorado voter interference, finding that the state was a target of Kremlin-backed propaganda efforts.

What I learned from @joebobhester about data mining in the @UNCMJschool @unc_matc program made this story possible #GoHeels #journalism https://t.co/RZy3Q8RRfH

— John Frank (@ByJohnFrank) February 19, 2018

Frank tweeted a link to his article and wrote that he couldn't have done it without the data-analysis skills he learned from Associate Professor Joe Bob Hester in MEJO 713: Digital Data and Analytics. Frank successfully turned a number of class projects into section-front stories for The Denver Post before graduating from the online master's program in 2016, and he is continuing to use skills taught in the program to inform his work as a journalist.