SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Meet David

Associate Professor of Journalism
David Wheeler's portrait
Associate Professor, Communication
Address: 401 W Kennedy Blvd Tampa, FL 33606
Mailbox: Box 106F
Room: TECH 462A

Education

1999 Asbury University, B.A.
2005 University of Kentucky, M.A.
2015 University of Kentucky, Ph.D.

Courses Taught

Introduction to Journalism
Multimedia Journalism I
First Year Writing

Career Specialties

As both a journalist and an academic, David Wheeler enjoys writing about technology, politics and free speech for some of the nation’s most high-profile news outlets, including CNN,ÌýThe Atlantic,ÌýNBC News andÌýColumbia Journalism Review. His research on the First Amendment is widely cited by legal scholars, including in an amicus brief at the Supreme Court.

Professional and Community Activities

In 2021, Wheeler’sÌýAtlanticÌýarticle “Do Students Still Have Free Speech in School?†was cited in an amicus brief in the Supreme Court caseÌýÌýIn the case, the Court ruled 8-to-1 that a Pennsylvania school violated a student’s First Amendment rights by punishing her for an off-campus Snapchat message. The citation of Wheeler’s article in the amicus brief on behalf of the student means Wheeler’s work will always be associated with this major case, and will remain available on the Supreme Court’s website from now on.

Wheeler’s work on the First Amendment has also been cited byÌý,Ìý,,,ÌýÌýandÌýFree Speech on Campus, a book published by Yale University Press.

Wheeler’s article†was chosen as the lead article in Volume 54 ofÌýCollege Media Review, the flagship peer-reviewed journal of the College Media Association.

In 2018, Wheeler presented theÌýÌýat Whitman College in Washington State. His hour-long presentation was titled "Is the First Amendment the New Second Amendment? Calling Hate Speech ‘Free Speech’ and Getting Away With It." Other Hosokawa lecturers have included authorÌý, Pulitzer winnerÌýÌýandÌýLos Angeles TimesÌýeditorÌý.

On campus, Wheeler currently advises UT’s student newspaper,ÌýThe Minaret, and co-directs UT’s Master of Arts in Social and Emerging Media.

Honors and Awards

Visit some of Wheeler’s author pages below.

CNN

The Atlantic

Columbia Journalism Review

NBC News

Newsweek

The New York Times

The New Republic

The Week

The Chronicle of Higher Education