Advisory Board
The Fair Media Council Advisory Board brings together a distinguished group of thought leaders, scholars, and media innovators committed to strengthening media literacy, ensuring accountability, and guiding the future of a responsible, connected media landscape.
Representing a wide range of expertise—from public broadcasting and law to journalism, academia, and climate science—our advisory board members provide strategic insight and uphold the integrity of our mission.
Kara Alaimo, Ph.D.
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Since 2016, she has contributed commentary to CNN, focusing on media, gender, and society.
William F. Baker, Ph.D.
Fordham University &
IESE Business School, Barcelona, Spain
Public television icon Dr. William F. Baker is an adventurer, educator, and media visionary whose impact spans public broadcasting, academia, and global storytelling. As President Emeritus of WNET-Thirteen in New York, he led the station through its golden era, producing landmark programming in arts and public affairs while building one of public television’s largest endowments. He helped launch Oprah Winfrey’s career and played a role in developing the Discovery and Disney Channels.
Clay Calvert
Nonresident Senior Fellow
American Enterprise Institute
Clay Calvert is one of the nation’s foremost experts on freedom of expression and media law. Now a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, he is Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida, where he held a joint appointment as Professor of Law and Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass Communication. The author or co-author of more than 150 law journal articles and over 100 columns for AEI, Calvert has shaped national conversations on the First Amendment and emerging communications technologies. He is the lead author of Mass Media Law (22nd ed., 2023) and author of Voyeur Nation, and has been honored as UF’s Teacher/Scholar of the Year and a member of its Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars.
Calvert holds a J.D. with Order of the Coif honors from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law, and earned both his Ph.D. and B.A. in Communication from Stanford University. Known for making complex legal issues accessible to broad audiences, he brings a sharp legal mind and deep commitment to media literacy and civic education. His work bridges the gap between academia, public discourse, and policymaking in an era of constant technological and cultural change.
Thomas Cooper, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Emerson College
Thomas Cooper is a pioneering scholar in media ethics and criticism, with a career that spans decades of academic leadership, international advocacy, and creative expression. He is the author or co-author of seven influential books, including Media Fast/Fast Media, Television and Ethics, and An Ethics Trajectory, and has published more than 100 articles and reviews. As co-publisher of Media Ethics, a respected academic and professional journal, Cooper has helped shape global conversations around responsibility in communication. Most recently, he served as an ethics expert for the United Nations, developing a new ethics curriculum for students and faculty worldwide.
A former assistant to famed media theorist Marshall McLuhan at the University of Toronto, Cooper co-produced some of the earliest audio-spacebridges connecting the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He has held guest scholar appointments at leading institutions including Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, and Yale, and served as a speechwriter for Puma’s former CEO. A playwright and composer with a doctorate in drama and communication, Cooper’s creative work has been performed internationally. He is the founding director of the Association for Responsible Communication, which was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988, and taught for 35 years at Emerson College, in addition to roles at Harvard, the University of Hawaii, and beyond.
Prof. Natalie Fenton
Co-Director, Center for the Study of Global Media & Democracy
Goldsmiths, University of London
Natalie Fenton is a Professor of Media and Communications and Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Global Media and Democracy at Goldsmiths, University of London. A leading voice on media, civil society, and democratic reform, she has written extensively on radical politics, journalism, and the digital age. Her work is driven by a passion for political transformation and re-imagining democracy through media systems that serve the public good. Fenton played a major role in the UK’s media reform movement as Vice-Chair of Hacked Off for seven years and as a founding member and former Chair of the UK Media Reform Coalition.
She currently serves on the board of Declassified UK, an investigative journalism outlet focused on British foreign policy. Her influential books include New Media: Old News, Digital, Political, Radical, and The Media Manifesto, among others. Her most recent work, Democratic Delusions: How media hollow out democracy and what we can do about it (Polity, 2024), offers a powerful critique of today’s media systems and a bold vision for democratic renewal. Fenton’s academic and advocacy work continues to shape critical debates around press freedom, accountability, and the future of media.
Bruce Lambert
Journalist (Retired)
The New York Times & Newsday
Bruce Lambert is a veteran journalist whose career spanned more than four decades, beginning at the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle and continuing at Newsday for 17 years before joining The New York Times for 22 years. At the Times, he made history as the paper’s first full-time reporter assigned to cover the AIDS crisis, providing critical and compassionate reporting during one of the most challenging public health issues of the 20th century. Known for his meticulous reporting and powerful storytelling, Lambert also covered a wide range of beats, from urban affairs to obituaries.
In addition to his journalism, Lambert was a strong advocate for newsroom workers, serving as a union leader at all three newspapers where he worked. At Newsday, he helped organize the editorial unit of Local 406 in 1976 and remained active in union leadership for over 20 years. His legacy reflects not only excellence in reporting but also a deep commitment to press freedom, labor rights, and ethical journalism.
Carolyn Schurr Levin
Senior Counsel
Miller Korzenik Sommers Rayman LLP
Carolyn Schurr Levin’s practice centers on media, publishing, First Amendment, and intellectual property law. A seasoned expert in prepublication review and editorial risk management, she brings decades of experience navigating the legal and ethical challenges facing news organizations and publishers. Before joining the firm in 2019, Levin spent 16 years at Long Island University, LIU Post, where she served as assistant professor, director of the journalism program, and assistant dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts. Under her guidance, the student newspaper earned 28 journalism awards, and she was nationally recognized in 2017 with the Distinguished Newspaper Adviser Award from the College Media Association.
Levin has also taught media law at Stony Brook University, Pace University, and Baruch College, and previously held senior legal roles as Vice President and General Counsel at both Ziff Davis Media and Newsday. She has contributed to the New York Law Journal, College Media Review, ABA Journal, and New York Times Book Review, among many others. She has also served as an editor, reporter, peer reviewer, and judge for numerous journalism organizations. A respected voice on press freedom and legal issues, Levin is a frequent speaker and panelist,and serves on the advisory boards of the Fair Media Council, the College Media Association, the Student Press Law Center, and the Society of Professional Journalists. She holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Chicago Law School.
Jeff Masters, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Weather Underground
Yale University
Jeff Masters, Ph.D., is a renowned meteorologist and expert in extreme weather and climate science. He began his career as a hurricane scientist with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters, flying into some of the most dangerous storms on record—including a near-fatal mission into Category 5 Hurricane Hugo in 1989. That harrowing experience led him to shift his focus, eventually earning a Ph.D. in air pollution meteorology from the University of Michigan in 1997. In 1995, he co-founded Weather Underground, where he served as chief meteorologist and board member until the company’s acquisition by The Weather Company in 2012.
From 2005 to 2019, his Category 6 blog became one of the Internet’s most trusted and widely quoted sources on hurricanes, climate change, and extreme weather events. Known for his ability to translate complex meteorological science into compelling, accessible insights, Dr. Masters continues to shape public understanding of our changing climate through his writing for Yale Climate Connections. His work blends scientific rigor with a deep commitment to public education and environmental awareness.