Sue Ellen Christian

Sue Ellen Christian is a professor of communication at Western Michigan University. She was named a Presidential Innovation Professor for 2021 – 2023 by WMU and President Edward Montgomery. Christian was a staff writer for 10 years at the Chicago Tribune and has also reported on the staffs of the Detroit News and the L.A. Times (Washington, D.C. bureau). 

She has received the 2016 Michigan Professor of the Year award from the Michigan Association of State Universities, the 2014 WMU Distinguished Teaching Award and the 2009 College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award.

Recent work includes:

• Click: The Musical - songs released on all streaming services as part of a rolling release to promote the upcoming musical planned for 2026. Created for high schools and community theatre productions to convey the importance of human connection amid the chaos of mediated information.
• Institute of Museum and Library Services Implementation Grant 2025-27. (Invited full proposal; currently under review). Nationwide training of youth library staff in media literacy and news literacy key concepts and skills to better serve patrons’ needs regarding media and information.
• Institute of Museum and Library Services Planning Grant with the Library of Michigan to train public library staff in youth services in media and news literacy skills and concepts. 2023-24. This included collaboration with public library professionals to create outreach materials based on the wondermedialibrary.com site and its activities and resources. 
• Creator of www.wondermedialibrary.com, a fully-accessible website for ages 10 and older that gamifies media literacy and news concepts to engage learners in how to use media wisely.
• Creator of Wonder Media, Ask the Questions! A 14-element media and news literacy museum exhibition, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 2021-2023. The exhibit received 137,000 visitors over 21 months (2021-2023) at a free public museum in Kalamazoo.
• Books: 1) Christian, S.E. (2020). Overcoming Bias: A Journalist's Guide to Culture and Context, Second edition. New York and London: Routledge. 2) Christian, S.E. (2023/2e, 2019). Everyday Media Literacy: An Analog Guide to Your Digital Life. New York and London: Routledge.
• Book Chapter: Christian, S.E. (2019, invited). "Avoiding Stereotypes and Stigma," In: S. Lehman & V. Wagner, (Eds.). Reporting Inequality: Tools and Methods for Covering Race and Ethnicity. New York: Routledge.
• Example of Student Projects: Christian, S.E., Editor. (May, 2017). Encore Magazine, "Student Take Over" edition. Edited and produced an edition written by students in the JRN 4100 capstone reporting course.

Examples of various service roles: