Newspaper pioneer behind Web concept

Cole Campbell was dean of the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno from 2004 until his death in an automobile accident on Jan. 5, 2007.

A nationally distinguished journalist, Campbell was known for his intellect, wit and passion in pioneering new forms of journalism that engaged citizens and communities.

At the Reynolds School, Campbell was committed to making journalism education relevant to local communities and the journalism industry. One of his innovations at the school was the development of a new graduate program in interactive environmental journalism.

In many ways, his work at the journalism school was the culmination of a career dedicated to improving journalism. His seminal work in public journalism, practiced during his time as editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, established his reputation as an innovator and creative thinker.

Campbell thought that journalists needed to be challenged to expand their service to the public. He was fully engaged with the discipline, serving on Pulitzer Prize juries, and in scholarly and professional work with the American Press Institute, The American Society of Newspaper Editors, the National Association of Minority Media Executives, and many others. He served as editor of The Values and Crafts of American Journalism: Essays from the Poynter Institute and was a John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University.

At the university, Campbell felt that students needed to develop an intellectual capacity and the ability to be reflective and critical practitioners of journalism. He felt passionately that journalism matters to the future state of democracy and that doing it well was a noble enterprise.