Gina Presson joined the faculty of the University of Miami in Fall, 2019, as a Lecturer in Broadcast Journalism and Writing. She teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in Broadcast Journalism, Introduction to Electronic Media, Reporting Across Platforms, Writing for Digital Media, and a new graduate course called Broadcast Studio Production: From Writing to Wrap. She is also co-leader of “Global Communication: London Summer” one of University of Miami’s study abroad programs.
She serves as the faculty advisor to UMTV’s award-winning “CanesCast” produced twice weekly, and Newsbreak produced three days weekly. She co-created UMTV’s latest magazine show, “PrimeTime” with Professors Julbe and Ezzy, which won two national awards. Most recently, she served as co-faculty advisor to UMTV’s “Flashpoint Florida: Election 2022” special with Professor Ben Ezzy, leading the students in coverage of campaign events and production of a live show. Presson joined the university following a decades long career as a journalist with experience reporting, writing, and producing, primarily long format news, for commercial and PBS radio/TV stations, print and digital outlets.
Presson is one of the recipients of the 2022 “Best of Festival” and “Best of Competition” awards for Faculty Film and Video in the Broadcast Education Association “Media Fest.” The awards were for “PrimeTime” a magazine format show featuring long form storytelling co-created with Professor Ed Julbe and Professor Ben Ezzy. The show also won “the Grand Prize for Professional Newscast” in the NBS-Aero awards. The team produced “Peafowl Predicament: Friend or Foul?” which has been selected by five international film festivals including a further nomination for “Best Short Documentary.” Presson previously won Suncoast Emmy awards in 2016 and 2017, the International Gabriel Award, PBS Jan Mitchell Outstanding Community Outreach, SPJ, Associated Press and Tampa Bay Black Journalists “Griot” awards. Her independent productions were also twice finalists in the International New York Film Festival and the Green Eyeshade Award plus a nominee for nine additional Suncoast Emmys.
She graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Studies and Communication from Duke University. Presson also holds a master’s degree in Specialized Journalism: Investigative Reporting and Documentary Production from University of Southern California Annenberg, where she was inducted into Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Association Honor Society. She was an Annenberg Graduate Fellow, teaching assistant and radio news reporter/anchor for Annenberg Media.
Prior to graduate school, Presson most recently served as the public affairs reporter/producer for WEDU-TV, PBS Tampa with responsibilities including: “Florida This Week,” a news discussion program, “Suncoast Business Forum” and special projects. In addition to weekly political news, she covered the GOP Convention, town-hall meetings, and political debates. Until 2019, she also served as the voice of “Quest” a science and technology program with segments airing nationally on “Sci-Tech Now” and local PBS affiliates, as well as on-air talent. Previously, Presson was the Florida bureau chief for Public News Service covering political, environmental, and social issues with stories published on NPR and CBS nationwide, in newspapers and on websites. She founded Presson Perspectives: news, documentary, and digital production; and created MedForum, one of the nation’s first health news websites. Presson also was a television reporter, producer and anchor covering politics, crime, social issues, arts, and business in various markets including Dallas (5), Tampa (11), Richmond Virginia and Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina. She continues to create long form projects primarily about social issues and the environment.
In summer 2019, she was honored as one of 12 broadcast fellows in the RIAS/RTDNA German American Journalism exchange travelling to Berlin, Dresden, Prague, and Brussels meeting with leaders in both media and politics. She was selected to participate in Leadership America as one of two Florida representatives and as moderator and panelist for Renaissance Weekend. Additionally, she is a graduate of the Scripps Howard Leadership Conference and was invited to participate in two “36 Hours at Duke: Journalism Edition” symposiums led by Bill Adair, founder of Politifact. She also co-led study abroad trips in 2019 to Costa Rica focused on environmental journalism and gender issues and 2021 to London focusing on Global Communication with Professor Joe Treaster. Our students visited. both news and public relations outlets including the BBC, ITN, CBS, ABC, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg TV, Edelman, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter meeting with the director of marketing and PR.
Presson is serving the journalism profession as an elected member of the Board of Governors of the Suncoast chapter of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. She also serves as co-chair of the organization’s webinar series. She serves as a judge for not only the Suncoast Emmys, both professional and student, but also for the Broadcast Education Association awards, the USF environmental journalism award and the Society of Professional Journalists national and regional awards for both professional and student work. She also served as SPJ president of the Tampa Bay chapter twice, deputy regional director, chair of a regional SPJ convention, member of the planning committee for the national convention in Tampa and deputy chair for the broadcast sessions of two national SPJ conventions. While she is still a member of the organization, she has retired from leadership roles
While Presson loves creating television, she loves working with students even more. She is delighted to be a part of the “U” and exploring South Florida.