Sharyn Alfonsi has joined Columbia Journalism School as a journalist in residence for the 2026–27 academic year, the school announced on August 3, 2026, alongside the simultaneous appointment of former 60 Minutes colleague Scott Pelley. The two award-winning investigative reporters will mentor students, conduct workshops on reporting and sourcing, and each contribute a piece to the Columbia Journalism Review.
Alfonsi brings more than three decades of broadcast reporting experience to the role, having covered major domestic and international stories throughout her career in local news, CBS News, and ABC News before joining 60 Minutes as a correspondent in 2015. During her tenure at 60 Minutes, she earned multiple Emmy awards and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for her reporting from the U.S.-Mexico border on immigration and the migrant crisis. Earlier in 2026, she received the Ridenhour Prize for Courage at the National Press Club.
The appointments are part of Columbia Journalism School’s CJS2030: Democracy Initiative, Dean Jelani Cobb’s vision for strengthening accountability reporting and journalism’s role in sustaining democracy. “We’re both excited and honored to welcome two journalists of this caliber to our Journalist in Residence Program,” Cobb said in the announcement. “Their distinguished track records in investigative reporting highlight the amazing opportunity our students will have to learn from them.”
Pelley, who spent 37 years at CBS News, served as anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News and worked as a correspondent on 60 Minutes for 27 years. His reporting has placed him at the center of consequential moments in recent history—he covered conflict zones in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Sudan as a war correspondent, and was reporting from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, when the North Tower collapsed. As a political reporter, he has interviewed U.S. presidents from George H.W. Bush to Joe Biden. Over his career, Pelley has earned 51 Emmy Awards, three George Foster Peabody Awards and four Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Awards. He is also the author of “Truth Worth Telling: A Reporter’s Search for Meaning in the Stories of Our Times,” published in 2019.
Both journalists left their positions at CBS News amid editorial tensions earlier in 2026. Alfonsi’s contract with 60 Minutes expired on May 28, 2026, after disputes over editorial decisions. Pelley departed in June 2026 after a similar clash over reporting standards. Their appointments to Columbia represent a significant addition to the school’s faculty resources. Alfonsi noted that “joining Columbia University as a Journalist in Residence is an extraordinary privilege, especially at a time when deep, rigorous and fearless reporting has never been more vital.” Pelley echoed the sentiment, stating, “This is a critical time for a free press. Columbia is leading the way in training the next generation of great journalists and I am honored to join Sharyn in that vital cause.”
The journalist-in-residence program pairs accomplished practitioners with graduate students in an effort to provide hands-on mentorship and real-world perspective. Scott Pelley’s appointment alongside Alfonsi marks a rare instance of two prominent journalists joining the program simultaneously. During their residency, the two will work with students individually and in group settings through lectures, workshops and special events designed to sharpen reporting, investigative and sourcing skills, giving Columbia students direct access to journalists whose reporting has shaped national conversations for decades.
Sources
- Columbia Journalism School — the official announcement of Alfonsi and Pelley’s appointments as journalists in residence for 2026–27, details on their roles and the CJS2030: Democracy Initiative
- The New York Times — coverage of Alfonsi and Pelley’s Columbia appointments on August 3, 2026
- Columbia Spectator — reporting on the inaugural journalists-in-residence program and details on both journalists’ careers and departures from CBS News
- Variety — coverage of Pelley’s appointment and his 37-year career at CBS News, including his Emmy and award history
- Wikipedia — biographical information on Alfonsi’s Emmy awards, including her 2019 wins for Parkland High School shooting coverage, and her duPont-Columbia Award for border reporting
