Teen Vogue’s Versha Sharma to Deliver Journalism Lecture at Whitman

Whitman College is pleased to welcome Versha Sharma, Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue, as the 2025 Hosokawa Journalism Lecturer. This year’s event—“The 21st Century Newsroom: What Even Is News When Everything is Online?”—will take place Tuesday, April 22, at 7 p.m. in the Reid Campus Center’s Young Ballroom.

From Campus Reporting to International Influence

Since her days as editor-in-chief of a college newspaper, Sharma has cultivated over a decade of experience reporting on politics, managing newsrooms and championing inclusive storytelling. Stepping into her “dream job” at Teen Vogue in 2021, she has guided the publication through a new chapter focused on civic engagement, social justice and youth-centered journalism.

Before joining Teen Vogue, Sharma served as Managing Editor and Senior Correspondent at NowThis, where she interviewed leaders such as Stacey Abrams, Anthony Fauci and former President Joe Biden. In 2018 she and her team received an Edward R. Murrow Award for their documentary work on Hurricane Maria’s effects on Puerto Rico, with Sharma leading audience growth across the outlet’s social platforms.

As the daughter of Indian immigrants and a first-generation college graduate, Sharma brings to her work a personal commitment to equity and access in media. She currently serves on the boards of the Online News Association and the International Women’s Media Foundation, and her career reflects a deep belief in journalism as a tool for representation and accountability.

Inside the 21st Century Newsroom

Sharma will deliver the 2025 Hosokawa Journalism lecture as a fireside chat with Nazaaha Penick ’25, Editor-in-Chief of Whitman’s student-run newspaper, the Whitman Wire. Their discussion will examine how newsrooms today decide what’s newsworthy, best practices for approaching politically or emotionally charged topics, and which traditional journalistic practices are being challenged in the age of social media and misinformation. 

Drawing from her experience shaping the digital-first mindset as Managing Editor for NowThis, Sharma will also share insight into leading a newsroom through periods of technological change—and what it takes to adopt new platforms in the rapidly shifting online landscape while staying grounded in journalistic ethics.

Celebrating Student Journalism

The Hosokawa Journalism Lecture occurs annually in conjunction with the Hosokawa Journalism Awards, which recognize excellence in student journalism at Whitman. Both are supported by an endowment established in honor of Robert R. Hosokawa, a respected reporter and journalism professor who graduated from Whitman College in 1940. 

Hosokawa dedicated his life to advancing press freedom and mentoring young reporters, and the endowment celebrates his legacy by bringing accomplished professionals to campus to inspire and inform the next generation of journalists.

More information about the event is available on the Whitman calendar.