Martha “Marty” Steffens

Professor of Professional Practice

Martha “Marty” Steffens Download High-Resolution Photo

Endowed Chairs, Journalism Studies

SABEW Chair in Business and Financial Journalism

210 Reynolds Journalism Institute
Missouri School of Journalism
Columbia, MO 65211-1200
(573) 884-4839

Martha “Marty” Steffens is an internationally recognized journalism leader, educator, and global advocate for press freedom whose career spans top newsroom leadership, international training, and transformative teaching at the Missouri School of Journalism.

Before joining the faculty at Missouri, Steffens built a distinguished career in professional journalism, serving as executive editor of the San Francisco Examiner and holding senior editing roles at the Los Angeles Times and other major news organizations. She has led large newsrooms, launched publications, and guided award-winning investigative and community journalism projects.

At Missouri, she holds the endowed SABEW Chair in Business and Financial Journalism, where she teaches courses in business reporting and media economics. Her teaching reflects the core of the Missouri Method—hands-on, real-world, and deeply connected to the profession. Students in her classes analyze live financial data, report on earnings in real time, and engage directly with industry leaders. Many of her graduates now work at organizations such as Reuters, Bloomberg, CNBC, and other leading national outlets.

Steffens is known for creating transformative learning experiences beyond the classroom. Her student reporting trips—to New York, Seattle, Austin, and other media hubs—are widely regarded as career-defining, offering students direct access to newsrooms and industry networks. She also teaches in the Chancellor’s Leadership Program, mentoring high-achieving students across disciplines.

Her impact extends globally. Steffens has trained student and professional journalists in more than 30 countries, including China, Russia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. She helped train the first generation of women journalists in Saudi Arabia and has been recognized by colleagues as a “diplomat” for her ability to connect across cultures. Through her work, she has served as a key ambassador for the Missouri School of Journalism worldwide.

A leader in the profession, Steffens served on the executive board of the International Press Institute and chaired its North American Committee for Media Freedom. She has testified before the United Nations Human Rights Council and participated in international press freedom missions. She is also co-organizer of SABEW’s  Goldschmidt Data Immersion workshops, one of the nation’s premier training programs for business journalists, which she helped build and sustain through major external funding. 

Her scholarship and professional work include textbooks, contributions to foundational journalism texts, and ongoing research into media, ethics, and history. She is the author of Essential Economics and co-author of Reporting Disaster on Deadline, and a longtime contributor to News Reporting and Writing, the Missouri School’s foundational text. 

Steffens’ teaching and professional contributions have been recognized with the University of Missouri’s highest honors, including the Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence and the Missouri Governor’s Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2026, she received the SABEW Distinguished Achievement Award for lifetime service to business journalism.  She was also named as a Distinguished Alumni of Indiana University.

Above all, Steffens is known for her enduring commitment to students. She mentors current students and alumni alike, helping them navigate careers, make professional connections, and find purpose in journalism. Her former students consistently credit her with shaping their careers—and, in many cases, their lives.

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Updated: March 26, 2026