Jodi McFarland Friedman

Jodi McFarland Friedman became coordinator for the Maryland Democracy Initiative projects at Merrill College in July 2023. She teaches news editing and is a doctoral candidate completing her dissertation at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism.

Friedman led award-winning midsize daily newsrooms in Michigan, including MLive Media Group’s The Flint Journal, The Saginaw News and The Bay City Times. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, she taught journalism for a combined five years at Central Michigan and Oakland universities. 

She has won five conference paper awards, has presented her research at regional and national conferences, and has published her work in Journalism History. She holds bachelor's degrees in Communication and Spanish, and a master's degree in Journalism.

She studies voice, gaze and contested power in historical and digital media contexts.