Michael Shanahan

Michael Shanahan (June 29, 1943 – November 22, 2014) was an American journalist for the Associated Press. His reporting included the 1970 shootings at a demonstration at Kent State University in Ohio. He would later go on to become a professor of journalism at the George Washington University for more than two decades.

Early life and career Joseph Michael Shanahan was born June 29, 1943, in Washington and grew up in Bangor, Pa. He received his B.A. in 1965 from the Pennsylvania State University in journalism. Shanahan joined the AP in 1965, but left shortly thereafter to serve in the Vietnam War as a U.S. Army intelligence officer where he was awarded the Bronze Star and a Combat Infantryman's Badge. After returning from the war, Shanahan worked for the AP at their Pittsburgh bureau covering events that included the 1970 shootings at a demonstration at Kent State University in Ohio, and the assassination of United Mine Workers of America leader Jock Yablonski. He moved shortly thereafter to the AP’s Washington bureau where he covered topics that included presidential campaigns and the work of the executive and legislative branches. "Michael Shanahan brought a reporter's eye and a professor's dedication to his work," said Frank Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs. “Through his teaching, advising and mentoring, his commitment was always to students first. In his classes and through the internships he managed, Professor Shanahan pushed students to be better journalists, writers, reporters and citizens."