Complete Story
03/21/2024
Kevin Benz
Principal Trainer
A self-described “recovering” news director, Kevin Benz is well-known as an inspiring, engaging speaker. He coaches thousands of journalists and hundreds of newsrooms around the country with his own style of pragmatic, ethical craft. His 30 years in newsrooms and reporting on the streets provide a unique understanding of what journalists need. He began teaching the practice of Inclusive Journalism 8 years ago after the killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, followed by so many others.
He began his career as an award-winning videographer and became a nationally recognized journalism leader — serving 14 years as news director in Austin.
His teams received national recognition from organizations including the Sigma Delta Chi awards, the National Edward R. Murrow awards, three National Walter Cronkite awards for excellence in Political Journalism and the DuPont-Columbia awards.
Kevin is former Chairman of RTDNA and the Texas AP Broadcasters. He co-founded the Southwest Broadcast Journalism Conference and served as visiting faculty for the Poynter Institute and for the Carole Kneeland Project for Responsible Journalism.
