Freedom of information fighter retires, named to Hall of Fame

May 27, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — As he gears up to retire June 30 after 43 years as a journalist, media law scholar and mentor, Bill Chamberlin is collecting top honors in his field.

They include being inducted into the “Heroes of the 50 States: The Open Government Hall of Fame” and receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from Florida’s First Amendment Foundation at the annual Florida Society of Newspaper Editors meeting next month in Orlando.

The UF Journal of Law and Public Policy recently dedicated an issue to Chamberlin, who is the UF College of Journalism and Communications’ Joseph L. Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass Communications.

Chamberlin accredits his success to “recognizing goals, working toward them and treating people like people.” His accomplishments reflect the efforts of others, he said. “Very seldom can you build a grand enterprise by yourself.”

Chamberlin, a longtime co-author of one of the most widely used undergraduate textbooks in media law, played a key role in developing the college’s nationally recognized master’s and doctoral graduate programs. He founded the college’s Brechner Center for Freedom of Information and the Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project. And he has worked for decades to boost public awareness and understanding of the need for access to government information.

The college is a national leader in the professional education of future journalists and other communications practitioners. It has programs in advertising, print and broadcast journalism, public relations, and telecommunication production and operations, as well as graduate-level programs in science/health communication, documentary, media law, political communication and international communication.