Akiko Sugaya is currently a Fellow at Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. She is studying how social media can promote civic journalism and enhance the democratic process.
As a former Newsweek editor and freelance journalist in the US and Japan, Akiko has written extensively on media, communication, and emerging technology and its impact on society. She also taught media studies and journalism at the University of Tokyo and worked as a fellow for Japan’s first independent policy think tank, the Research Institute of Economy, Trade, and Industry headed by Prof. Masahiko Aoki, Stanford University.
Several years ago Akiko published a book called “Media Literacy” based on research conducted in the US, UK, Canada, and Japan, which was a Japanese bestseller in the media category in 2001. The book had an enormous impact in Japan, promoting the importance of media education to citizens of all ages and encouraging schools, civic groups, the media industry, and government agencies (Ministry of Education, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, etc.) to get involved.
Akiko co-founded the ground-breaking Media Expression and Literacy Project at the University of Tokyo. This initiative brought the teaching of media literacy to classrooms throughout Japan, with excerpts from her book appearing in Japanese textbooks. Her book remains required reading across Japan, from middle school to university.
Akiko earned a Master’s degree from Columbia University and completed her PhD program at the University of Tokyo. Akiko has lived in the U.S. total for 15 years and this is her 8th year living in Cambridge, MA.
