Thomas Grant
Thomas Grant
Professor
School of Arts and Sciences
Tom Grant teaches journalism, broadcasting and writing, and leads study abroad trips around the world.
He worked 30 years as a journalist in television and newspapers before earning his Ph.D. at the University of Idaho. A native of Tonasket, Washington, Grant earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington State University and a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.
He has won more than 10 national awards for his reporting, including two duPont-Columbia Awards, often referred to as the Pulitzers of broadcasting. He was the Mike Wallace Fellow for Investigative Reporting at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1997-98. His research at the Center for ETHICS* at the University of Idaho compared methods of teaching media ethics to college students.
Grant spent much of his journalism career in Spokane, Wash., where he worked at KREM-TV, KXLY-TV, KAYU-TV and The Local Planet newspaper. In 1995, he won the George Polk Award for a long series of stories about people falsely accused of child abuse. Ultimately, 18 innocent people were released from prison.
Grant’s reporting on milk prices earned an Oscar in Agriculture award from the University of Illinois. His documentary on ethics in sports won a national prize for public service from the Society of Professional Journalists. He also won a national prize for investigative reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2001 for uncovering a secret deal to move $10 million in taxpayer money into a mall development project.
He ran for mayor of Spokane in 2003.
Tom Phillips, retired CBS news writer and author of the memoir “A Beginner’s Life," wrote, “I admire people who have serious goals that motivate them for a lifetime…. Walter Cronkite, Tom Grant, Nelson Mandela... I admire them because they know who they are.”
He worked 30 years as a journalist in television and newspapers before earning his Ph.D. at the University of Idaho. A native of Tonasket, Washington, Grant earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington State University and a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.
He has won more than 10 national awards for his reporting, including two duPont-Columbia Awards, often referred to as the Pulitzers of broadcasting. He was the Mike Wallace Fellow for Investigative Reporting at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1997-98. His research at the Center for ETHICS* at the University of Idaho compared methods of teaching media ethics to college students.
Grant spent much of his journalism career in Spokane, Wash., where he worked at KREM-TV, KXLY-TV, KAYU-TV and The Local Planet newspaper. In 1995, he won the George Polk Award for a long series of stories about people falsely accused of child abuse. Ultimately, 18 innocent people were released from prison.
Grant’s reporting on milk prices earned an Oscar in Agriculture award from the University of Illinois. His documentary on ethics in sports won a national prize for public service from the Society of Professional Journalists. He also won a national prize for investigative reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2001 for uncovering a secret deal to move $10 million in taxpayer money into a mall development project.
He ran for mayor of Spokane in 2003.
Tom Phillips, retired CBS news writer and author of the memoir “A Beginner’s Life," wrote, “I admire people who have serious goals that motivate them for a lifetime…. Walter Cronkite, Tom Grant, Nelson Mandela... I admire them because they know who they are.”
Grant teaches all the journalism courses at ABAC, including JRNL 1100 Intro to Mass Media, JRNL 2510 News Reporting and Writing, JRNL 2610 Intro to Broadcasting, JRNL 3125 Writing for Contemporary media, JRNL 3610 Advanced Broadcasting and JRNL 3710 Photojournalism.
Grant's teaching specialty is COMM 4210 Communication Ethics. His dissertation compared ways of teaching ethics to media students.
Grant also teaches introductory writing courses in English, introductory communications courses, and courses in world literature as part of his study abroad efforts.
Grant's teaching specialty is COMM 4210 Communication Ethics. His dissertation compared ways of teaching ethics to media students.
Grant also teaches introductory writing courses in English, introductory communications courses, and courses in world literature as part of his study abroad efforts.
Dr. Grant has produced three feature-length documentaries during the past five years, including "In the Valley of Sin" that premiered on Fox Nation in May 2021.
In 2017, Grant released "Elephants in the Coffee," a 60-minute documentary about the conflict between coffee farmers and endangered elephants in southern India. The film was produced by with help from a faculty enrichment grant from ABAC. ABAC students shots much of the footage. The film was named best documentary at film festivals in Georgia, Kansas, Washington, D.C., North Carolina and India.
In 2020, Grant and his students released another full-length documentary, "Blood, Bone and Stone," about primitive toolmaker Jack McKey. The film premiered at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture in July 2020. It has won top prizes at film festivals in the United States and India.
In 2021, Grant was co-executive producer of a six-hour documentary that streamed on Fox Nation. "In the Valley of Sin" re-examines a case that Dr. Grant covered as a reporter in the mid-1990s in Wenatchee, Washington.
In 2021-22, Dr. Grant worked with Professor Kaci West and student Charley Lollis on a documentary about Arthurian legend called "Stone and Story." That film premiered in May 2022 at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture.
In 2017, Grant released "Elephants in the Coffee," a 60-minute documentary about the conflict between coffee farmers and endangered elephants in southern India. The film was produced by with help from a faculty enrichment grant from ABAC. ABAC students shots much of the footage. The film was named best documentary at film festivals in Georgia, Kansas, Washington, D.C., North Carolina and India.
In 2020, Grant and his students released another full-length documentary, "Blood, Bone and Stone," about primitive toolmaker Jack McKey. The film premiered at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture in July 2020. It has won top prizes at film festivals in the United States and India.
In 2021, Grant was co-executive producer of a six-hour documentary that streamed on Fox Nation. "In the Valley of Sin" re-examines a case that Dr. Grant covered as a reporter in the mid-1990s in Wenatchee, Washington.
In 2021-22, Dr. Grant worked with Professor Kaci West and student Charley Lollis on a documentary about Arthurian legend called "Stone and Story." That film premiered in May 2022 at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture.
At ABAC, Dr. Grant has led study abroad trips to India, Italy, France and Norway. He has taken students to meet the Dalai Lama, film the capture of wild elephants and celebrate Palm Sunday Mass with the Pope.
Students have also traveled with Dr. Grant to film at Glacier National Park in Montana, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and other sites in the West.
During a study abroad in Oslo, Norway, students produced two short documentaries that won national awards from the College Media Association.
Three of Dr. Grant's students have won Gilman Scholarships from the U.S. government to subsidize their travel abroad. He is available to help other students apply for scholarships.
Students have also traveled with Dr. Grant to film at Glacier National Park in Montana, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and other sites in the West.
During a study abroad in Oslo, Norway, students produced two short documentaries that won national awards from the College Media Association.
Three of Dr. Grant's students have won Gilman Scholarships from the U.S. government to subsidize their travel abroad. He is available to help other students apply for scholarships.