Campus & Community

Henry Chu named curator of Nieman Foundation for Journalism

Prize-winning veteran foreign correspondent, editor aims to focus on challenges facing industry, including AI, press freedom, polarization

July 29, 2026

4 min read

Distinguished journalist Henry Chu has been named curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism, the University announced today.

“I am delighted that Henry has agreed to serve as the Nieman Foundation for Journalism’s next curator,” said University Provost John F. Manning. “His deep commitment to his craft and to mentoring journalists exemplifies the foundation’s mission of promoting and elevating the standards of journalism worldwide.”

Chu ’90 was named curator following an extensive search process, during which the University solicited feedback from Nieman staff and alumni, the wider Harvard community, and leading figures in the news industry, including John Harwood, chair of the Nieman Foundation’s advisory board.

“Henry Chu brings an ideal set of skills and experiences to his role as the next curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism,” said Harwood, a former White House correspondent for CNN and chief Washington correspondent for CNBC. “As a Harvard graduate and former Nieman Fellow himself, he has deep knowledge of the University and can speak with authority about the foundation and the immense challenges journalism faces at this moment.”

Chu is a longtime foreign correspondent and editor who has reported from more than 30 countries on six continents, primarily for the Los Angeles Times. He will begin his new role on Aug. 3.

“I am thrilled and honored to be appointed curator of the Nieman Foundation,” Chu said. “Journalism is more important than ever but is also facing grave challenges. I’m grateful for Harvard’s commitment to Nieman and look forward to working with the campus community, Nieman Fellows and alumni, and news industry leaders to help journalism and journalists thrive.”

Chu said he is eager to use the foundation’s convening power to bring together journalists, academics, policymakers, and others to address important issues confronting journalism, such as AI, press freedom, polarization, and media literacy.

He also hopes to foster greater connections between Nieman and other parts of Harvard and to deepen engagement with the foundation’s global network of alumni. Since the organization was founded in 1938, more than 1,700 accomplished journalists have spent a year at Harvard as Nieman Fellows pursuing academic study to enrich and strengthen their journalistic practice.

Chu will be the ninth curator in the Nieman Foundation’s 88-year history.

He began his career as a staff reporter at the L.A. Times after graduating from Harvard College with a bachelor’s in History and Literature. In Los Angeles, he wrote about local politics, education, and transportation, and was a member of two teams that won Pulitzer Prizes in 1995 and 1998 for breaking news coverage.

He moved on to a series of overseas assignments as bureau chief in Beijing, Rio de Janeiro, New Delhi, and London. World events he has covered include U.S.-China summits, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Brazil’s emergence as an agricultural superpower, Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the election of Pope Francis, and the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union.

Chu was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard during the 2014-15 academic year. From 2016 to 2019, he served as Variety magazine’s international editor, deploying reporters to cover the global entertainment industry, before returning to the L.A. Times as its London-based deputy news editor, overseeing the paper’s website overnight and editing overseas staff and newswire reports.

Chu moved back to the U.S. to serve as deputy curator of the Nieman Foundation from July 2024 through June 2025. He has been interim leader since former curator Ann Marie Lipinski stepped down in July 2025, directing the foundation’s programming, selecting and mentoring Nieman Fellows, managing Nieman’s three journalism-oriented publications (Nieman Lab, Nieman Reports, and Nieman Storyboard), and collaborating with other members of the Harvard community.

The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard was established through a bequest from Agnes Wahl Nieman, the widow of Milwaukee Journal editor Lucius Nieman. Its mission is to promote and elevate the standards of journalism and to educate and support those poised to make important contributions to its future. For more information, see the Nieman Foundation’s website.