Brian McDermott

Brian McDermott joined the faculty at UMass full-time in September 2009. He began his career as a photojournalist, working at a newspaper in Pennsylvania. From there, he headed west to Missoula, Montana, where he went to graduate school and took a new media path. He published photography, multimedia and writing in outlets like the New York Times, the New York Daily News, the Associated Press, Quartz, Bon Appétit and many others. 

His writing about journalism has appeared in Journalism Practice, Online Journalism Review and News Photographer. He has built websites commercially, produced video pieces, and chaired the National Press Photographers Association's Student Quarterly Clip Contest. 

He was awarded the 2014 SBS College Outstanding Teaching Award, and has served as Department Chair since Fall 2017.

New & Selected Publications

Tara M. Mortensen, Brian P. McDermott, Khadija Ejaz & Daniel D. Haun (2019) Closing the Gap Between Photojournalist Research and Photojournalism Practice: Exploring the Motivations of the Subjects of Sensitive Photo Essays, Journalism Practice, 13:5, 576-591, DOI: 10.1080/17512786.2018.1535907 . (Nominated for the journal's top paper of 2019 award)