Paul Pohlman ’64

Journalist and educator Paul Pohlman ’64 died Jan. 23 in St. Petersburg, Fla. He was 70.

For more than 30 years, Pohlman was a faculty member at the Poynter Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to training journalists around the world. During his time there he served as associate dean, interim dean, and senior faculty member. Before moving to Poynter, he worked at the University of Chicago, leading the newspaper management education and development management programs.

In 1991 Pohlman, along with other Poynter faculty and staff, helped to create the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 1997, when interviewed by the Cornell Report, Pohlman said he thought the institute had made real progress, especially considering that when it was founded there was essentially no free press in South Africa. Since its founding, it has expanded its focus to include all of Africa.

In remembrances of Pohlman collected on the Poynter web site, fellow journalists called him a masterful coach, a man unafraid to speak the truth, an influential leader, and someone who relished both teaching and learning.
He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, and several nieces and nephews.