Keith Woods

Keith Woods is Dean of Faculty at The Poynter Institute. He is a former sportswriter, news reporter, city editor, editorial writer, and columnist who worked his way through those jobs in 16 years at the New Orleans Times-Picayune. His professional writing won statewide and national awards, including the 1994 National Headline award he shared with colleagues for the 1993 series “Together Apart/The Myth of Race.” He joined Poynter in 1995, and for seven years led the Institute’s teaching on diversity and coverage of race relations as part of the ethics faculty, then led the Reporting, Writing & Editing programs. In his time at Poynter, he has written columns and essays on topics ranging from fatherhood to race relations to the emerging journalism of the South African press. He is the former editor of “Best Newspaper Writing,” the annual collection of prize-winning stories and photojournalism selected by the American Society of Newspaper Editors. He is a regular speaker at the Poynter-sponsored National Writers Workshops each year and consults with newspapers and television stations on matters of diversity, race relations, writing, and editing. He has written extensively about how news organizations handle race relations and diversity in the newsroom, boardrooms, newspapers and broadcasts. He is married to WTVT-TV anchor Denise White. Their blended family includes five wonderful children and a neurotic cocker spaniel.