SPJ-NE, The Mass Media to host free speaker series at UMass Boston

SPJ New England and The Mass Media will partner to host a four-part monthly speaker series at UMass Boston, featuring retired Boston Globe sportswriter Bob Ryan, former CNN anchor Jim Acosta, Boston Globe Social Video Journalist Emily Sweeney and photographer Lou Jones.

The second event, featuring Jim Acosta, will take place Oct. 22. at 6 p.m, moderated by former SPJ National President Rebecca Aguilar. In 2025, Acosta left CNN after serving as the outlet’s chief domestic correspondent for four years. He was previously CNN’s chief White House correspondent, where his clashes with President Donald Trump during his first term led to a ban from the White House in 2018, which ended when the administration backed down following a temporary court order. Acosta is also the author of the New York Times bestselling book, “The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America.” 

Emily Sweeney, the Boston Globe’s first social video journalist and a former SPJ New England president, will headline the third installment Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. In early 2026, her video coverage went viral on social media – in part for the Dorchester native’s Boston accent – leading to coverage in The New York Times. In addition to video journalism, Sweeney writes two crime-related series for the Globe, “Blotter Tales,” about noteworthy police blotter incidents, and the unsolved murder newsletter, “Cold Case Files.” She is the author of four books, including “Gangland Boston: A Tour Through the Deadly Streets of Organized Crime.”

The fourth event, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m., will feature Boston-based photographer Lou Jones. In addition to artistic and commercial work, Jones has worked for publishers including National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Time/Life and Paris Match. Jones served as the City of Boston’s official bicentennial photographer in 1976. He was also president of the New England chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers and on the organization’s national board of directors. He received awards from the International Photographic Council, Massachusetts Citizens against the Death Penalty and the Boston Photography Collaborative. 

The free events are open to UMass Boston students and members of the public. RSVP for the first event now to reserve a seat. RSVP information for later events is forthcoming.

Through the speaker series, SPJ New England and The Mass Media aim to expand UMass Boston students’ access to journalism education opportunities, furthering SPJ’s mission to “inspire successive generations of talented individuals to become dedicated journalists.”

“SPJ New England is very excited to work with The Mass Media on this speaker series. These student journalists do incredible work and we want to support them in any way we can,” said SPJ New England President Adam Sennott. “This series will help students learn about how journalism works, how reporters do their work, and why the free press is the foundation of our democracy.”

“The students at UMass Boston are going to go on to do great things, and we’re honored to be part of their educational experience,” Sennott said.

“As the independent student newspaper of UMass Boston, a public university with no journalism program, we are always trying to create opportunities like this for our community,” said Elijah Horwath, the editor in chief of The Mass Media. The paper has covered the only public research institution in Boston since it began publishing in 1966, with student editors training others in reporting, writing, editing, photojournalism, design and ethics.

“We want to encourage freedom of speech, foster critical thinking, and empower students everywhere to seek the truth for themselves,” Horwath said. “Our hope is that this speaker series is one part of this mission, and we are immensely grateful to the SPJ for their involvement and their continued efforts to inspire journalists across the country.”