Medill senior associate dean Tim Franklin will lead the Medill Justice Project course this Spring Quarter, according to an email sent to participating graduate students Thursday.

Medill Prof. Alec Klein, director of the Medill Justice Project, is currently on leave following bullying and harassment allegations made last month against him by former employees and students. Klein has denied the allegations but took a leave while Northwestern investigates the accusations.

Franklin, who joined the Medill faculty in 2017, formerly served as president of the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit journalism school and media center in Florida. At the time of his hiring, Franklin released a statement saying his appointment to Medill gave him “an incredible opportunity to play a leadership role at one of the premier schools in the world.”

According to the email sent to students by Medill assistant dean Beth Bennett, Franklin has served as “the top editor at three metro news organizations” and “has overseen investigations that have won numerous national awards and been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.”

In the email, Bennett added that, aside from Franklin, students will also work with Medill Justice Project staff and another unnamed instructor throughout the quarter.

Bennett did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Beth Bennett’s title. She is an assistant dean at Medill. The Daily regrets the error. 

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