Tony Burman joins Ryerson as Velma Rogers Graham Research Chair

Tony Burman, of both CBC and Al Jazeera fame, has been appointed the Velma Rogers Graham Research Chair in News Media and Technology at Ryerson University’s j-School.

Burman topped off his 35 year career with the CBC with a seven-year stint as the CBC’s editor-in-chief from 2000-2007. After that, Burman left to become managing director of Al Jazeera’s English-language news channel from 2008 – 2010. He is now the network’s head of strategy for the Americas. He was recently named the second-most influential non-Arab in the Arab world by Arabian Business Magazine, and the Canadian Expat Association has also voted him the third-most influential Canadian living abroad.

As part of his new post, Burman will teach a course at Ryerson’s j-school on the evolving relationships between journalists and politicians. He will also deliver public lectures and on-campus seminars. Research-wise, Burman will focus on several current news industry issues, including how technology is influencing our understanding of what news is, and how it is gathered and transmitted. He’ll also look at privacy and the censorship and the control of information.

Burman’s appointment starts Sept. 1, 2011. For more information, check out the release.