Spring 2024 Fellow
Jane Coaston is a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times with a special interest in American conservatism. She has written on topics including QAnon, college admission scandals, evangelicalism in America, and elections. She is also the host of the popular New York Times podcast, “The Argument”, which offers context, analysis, and good-faith engagement on current political debates.
She has recently joined CNN as an on-air contributor for the Chris Wallace Show and other CNN shows.
Jane was a Senior Politics Reporter at Vox, covering current events spanning from the Republican Party to the Black Lives Matter Movement. Her work has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, ABC News, NPR, The Ringer, Buzzfeed, and The Washington Post, and she has written for publications ranging from ESPN Magazine to The National Review. Jane served as a writer for the Human Rights Campaign from 2014-2016. She had previously worked for the Environmental Working Group, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Arabella Advisors, and the St. Louis Post.
She is a graduate of the University of Michigan, holding a B.A. in History and Political Science with a focus on World War, and she currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband.
Study Group: A History of Opinion: Yours, Mine and the Times
Opinion writing is an art. Some people are doing it wrong. In this study group, New York Times writer Jane Coaston showed students how to do it better. They discussed the history of opinion writing from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries as well as different platforms of opinion, such as TV and internet publications. Finally, they looked at what the rise of opinion journalism has to tell us about the media, news, history, and, well, us.
Spring 2024 Semester Recap
Jane Coaston said this about her experience at USC’s Center for the Political Future: “My favorite part of my fellowship were the students. They were interested, interesting, and excited to engage and participate in conversations that were wide ranging and fascinating. I did not attend USC, but I am going to miss it profoundly.”
USC students in Jane’s study group shared this about their experience:
“I loved hearing about Jane’s own experiences with opinion writing and how we should apply that to ours. I also loved the guest speakers we heard from.”
Jennifer Nehrer, Journalism
“I gained more knowledge about what makes good opinion journalism and more broadly what makes good reporting, and how to integrate opinion journalism with complex or debated political issues to create meaningful coverage of important events/topics. My favorite part of being in this study group was getting to hear and share different points of view on a variety of topics relating to opinion journalism, and forming close connections with my peers and Jane.”
Jane shared her thoughts on the importance of politics, her first political experience, her advice for having respectful political discourse, and what she appreciates about CPF in her “Quick Takes: Q&A with CPF Fellow Jane Coaston” video.