John Potts (1937- 2025)
Trailblazing academic
The Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia mourns the passing of Emeritus Professor John David Sumner-Potts OAM, known to colleagues and students as John Potts.
John was a foundational figure in journalism education in Australia. He played a critical role in JERAA’s formation when he convened a meeting of 13 journalism educators in 1975 at Mitchell College of Advanced Education in Bathurst (now Charles Sturt University), where he was teaching. This gathering led to the formation of the Australian Association for Tertiary Education in Journalism (AATEJ), which later evolved to become JERAA.
John was one of the first journalism lecturers in the country, being appointed at the Mitchell College in 1971 to teach journalism and public relations. In the early years, he was the sole journalism and public relations lecturer, responsible for developing the curriculum and teaching all subjects.
The School of Communication was formally established in 1975, with John playing a central role in its creation. The School was the first of its kind in Australia, combining journalism, public relations, advertising, and media studies under one academic unit. In his reflections on that time, he noted the challenges of building a new discipline in a regional setting, and the pride he felt in seeing the School become nationally recognised.
John’s commitment to advancing journalism education on a global scale is reflected in his role as one of three founding organisers of the World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC), which launched in Singapore in 2007.
John’s contributions extended beyond journalism into public relations education. The Public Relations Institute of Australia (now CPRA) made him a Life Fellow, in recognition of his contribution to that discipline. A CPRA statement described him as an “educator par excellence, a practitioner, advisor and a pioneer” and credited him with helping elevate the professional status and reputation of the association.
John was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2012 for his services to the media as an academic and educator, and for his contributions to the community more broadly. His legacy lives on in the institutions he helped build and the generations of students and educators he mentored.
John passed away on 3 March 2025 at the age of 87.
JERAA honours his memory and extends heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.
