Journalism on Screen

Six Tuesdays, January 14 - February 18 10am to 1pm 

"To those intrepid ones who went across the seas to be the eyes and ears of America.... To those forthright ones who early saw the clouds of war while many of us at home were seeing rainbows.... To those clear headed ones who now stand like recording angels among the dead and dying.... To those foreign correspondents this motion picture is dedicated." - Alfred Hitchcock’s Foreign Correspondent 

We imagine the foreign correspondent as the daring, fearless, relentless journalist dashing around the globe. Every generation has its icons—from Dorothy Thompson, Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, to Christiane Amanpour—renowned for bringing to light parts of the world to which most Americans pay scant attention. 

Join us as we take a look at the changing perception of the foreign correspondent in film. We’ll ask some big questions about journalism at a moment when the profession is under fire, and explore cinematic image vs. reality about the field in 2025. 

The course will be led by longtime museum curator and Boston Latin School educator Judi Freeman, who is currently writing a book on foreign correspondent and journalist Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961). 

About Judi Freeman

 Judi Freeman is a historian and educator, the author of 10 books and numerous articles. For much of her career, Ms. Freeman was an art museum curator and educator, specializing in modern art, at museums from the National Gallery of Art to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and a secondary educator, teaching 20th-21st century history, most notably as the Seevak Chair in History at Boston Latin School. With degrees from Vassar, Johns Hopkins, Yale, and Tufts universities, Ms. Freeman has integrated the history of film into much of her work. She is currently at work on a new biography of legendary American foreign correspondent and columnist Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961).