Jim Flink
Faculty Group Chair, Strategic Communication
Faculty Chair, Strategic Communication
Professor140-G Walter Williams Hall
Missouri School of Journalism
Columbia, MO 65211-1200
B.A. in political science, Westminster College
M.A. in journalism, University of Missouri
- Audience Research
- Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality
- Media Management
- Visual Journalism
Jim Flink is a Professional Practice Professor of Strategic Communication at the Missouri School of Journalism, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on emerging technologies, digital strategy, content marketing, sports journalism, and AdZou, the capstone experience. He is also part of the graduate certificate faculty.
Flink’s teaching spans multiple disciplines and focuses on innovations like AI, immersive media, drones, and GoPro. He co-teaches a long-running content marketing course in partnership with a Cincinnati-based collaborator.
As a consultant for the Reynolds Journalism Institute, Flink works internationally and nationally on media training and communication projects, including programs in Kazakhstan, London, and across Missouri. He has also contributed to grants training farmers in Africa, Asia, and Central America on pesticide best practices, worked on a semiconductor grant with the School of Engineering, and trained Missouri health workers on addressing the opioid crisis. Additionally, he has trained Borlaug Fellows on best storytelling tools and practices, collaborated with Mizzou Athletics on NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) training, and worked with the School of Medicine on a documentary focused on best digital practices for oncologists. He also works with the National Association of Broadcasters leading students through a fellowship on NextGen TV.
Flink helped establish the Innovation Lab at the Trulaske College of Business, a 5G lab in collaboration with AT&T. He has built collaborations with major companies and start-ups, including IBM, Mastercard, and Roche, among many others..
From 2010–2014, Flink was VP and GM at Newsy (now ScrippsNews), where he helped transform a start-up into an award-winning, internationally recognized digital newsroom. Previously, he spent 15 years as a lead anchor and reporter at KMBC-TV in Kansas City, with work featured on major platforms like CNN, BBC, and ABC.
An Emmy and Murrow Award-winning journalist, Flink has international experience working across radio, television and print platforms in Korea, the Philippines, and with UNESCO. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Westminster College and an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Missouri. In 2010, he received Westminster’s Lifetime Alumni Achievement Award.
Updated: July 9, 2025