Mollie Hemingway, senior editor at The Federalist and Fox News contributor, will join the Allan P. Kirby Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Statesmanship staff next fall as a journalism professor.
As part of the ongoing project to expand Hillsdale’s campus in Washington, D.C., Hemingway has been hired to teach journalism classes for students in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program. This gives students, including those working toward a journalism minor, the opportunity to take journalism courses for credit while in Washington.
“I’m excited to help students figure out career opportunities,” Hemingway said in an email. “Of the many changes in life, transitioning from one’s studies to professional life can be particularly challenging. I’m so appreciative of those who helped me with that process, and am glad I can help others.”
Hemingway, a senior editor at The Federalist and a contributor at Fox News, graduated from the University of Colorado in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Hemingway began her journalism career at Radio & Records, a publication specializing in the radio and music industries. Along with her work for The Federalist, Hemingway has been published in many national papers, including the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and CNN. She has been on Hillsdale’s campus for seminars and other events. She and her husband, Mark Hemingway, who is also a journalist, taught a Pulliam Fellow class at Hillsdale in 2016.
Hemingway dedicated most of her time over the past three months to writing a book on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination. Now that Hemingway and her co-author Carrie Severino have finished the first full draft of her book, Hemingway and Matthew Spalding, associate vice president and dean of educational programs for the Kirby Center, are working on a formal contract.
Hemingway will be a tremendous asset at the Kirby Center, Director of the Dow Journalism Program John Miller said. Hemingway will teach students on WHIP in a formal class setting; the preliminary plan is to walk through the way she reported for her new book on the Kavanaugh’s nomination.
“Our aim is to produce well-educated young people who can move immediately into the professional media and become good journalists,” Spalding said. “We want to teach them how to write well and hone their skills so they know how to investigate a story, follow the facts, dig the dirt, and then put it together in ways that are both credible and compelling.”
Hemingway will work with students, particularly those interested in journalism, as a mentor outside of the formal classroom setting as well — for example, students will have the opportunity to assist Hemingway with future research projects.
“Many of the most important things you can learn aren’t always in the classroom,” Spalding said. “Prudence is best learned by doing. So we create opportunities and provide mentors for students to build careers of excellence and integrity.”
Hemingway will also visit Hillsdale’s main campus regularly for journalism events.
In the past two years, Hemingway’s reporting on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Donald Trump and the 2016 election has brought to light a narrative unlike that portrayed by many in the media — she was skeptical of Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia as well as the popular narrative surrounding the issue.
According to Spalding, Hemingway’s columns are good because they are well-reported and well-researched.
“In an age where most journalists are really doing the fast and easy thing, Mollie represents an older understanding of journalism,” Spalding said. “Of late, she stands out as one of the few who had the sense to investigate rather than jump on the fashionable media cause. She’s a good, honest, respectable journalist — a good model for our students.”
Miller also attested to the quality of Hemingway’s work.
“Every time you read her, you get something fresh,” Miller said.
Hemingway credits her success in journalism to her willingness to commit time to research.
“Research is my favorite part of journalism,” she said. “Much of my success as a reporter has been because of my willingness to read original documents instead of regurgitating talking points about them.”
In addition to her journalism skills, Miller appreciates Hemingway’s love for baseball — even though her team, the St. Louis Cardinals, beat Miller’s team, the Detroit Tigers, in the 2006 World Series.
Spalding looks forward to working with Hemingway.
“Networking at its best is friendship,” Spalding said. “And Mollie is a friend.”
