Dr. Jannette L. Dates is the dean of the John H. Johnson School of Communications at Howard University, where she served as a faculty member in the Department of Radio, Television and Film and associate dean before becoming dean. Dr. Dates has been a frequent speaker and panelist on national television and radio programs where she discussed images of African Americans in the mass media.

She has appeared on “Both Sides with Jesse Jackson,” “Booknotes with Brian Lamb” on CSPAN,” “All Things Considered” on NPR, “Close Up” on NPR, “Our Visions” on BET, and “On the Media” on NPR, among others. Prior to her career at Howard, Dr. Dates served as anchor and executive producer of a weekly television magazine for the Baltimore, Maryland, NBC affiliate, WBAL-TV, and as executive producer and host for a distance learning television series for Morgan State College students studying African American history and culture.
In the 1990’s, she served as a Fellow at the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center at Columbia University where her research focused on media images and effects, media treatment of African Americans and similar multicultural groups and women. She writes, as well, about the significance of diversity in media industries and in higher education.

Dr. Dates co-edited the book, Split Image: African Americans in the Mass Media, authoring six of the ten chapters. She has written chapters for 15 other books, authored sixteen peer-reviewed articles and numerous general article publications.