Paul Miller Lecture Series

The Paul Miller Journalism Lecture Series honors the late Paul Miller, who for 16 years was president and chief executive officer of Gannett Co. Miller, who graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1931, had a signiﬁcant impact on the journalism profession. He believed members of the press should dedicate themselves to the highest calling because they serve their fellow citizens. Miller’s professional career was one of commitment to the cause of freedom of expression. The Paul Miller Journalism Lecture Series is sponsored by the Paul and Louise Miller Endowment, the School of Media & Strategic Communications, the College of Arts & Sciences and Oklahoma State University.

Upcoming Speakers

Spring 2025

The 36th Annual Paul Miller Lecture Series Presents

Journalism from Space:
Using Satellites to Document Atrocities

Ryan McNeill, London-based Deputy Editor
Reuters Global Data Team

Wednesday, April 09, 2025, 2:00 p.m.

Student Union Theatre

Free and Open to the Public

Intelligence once hidden behind locked gates of government compounds is now widely accessible thanks to commercial satellite data. Hear how journalists are using satellites and other new technologies to document atrocities and wrongdoing around the globe.

Speaker's Bio

Ryan McNeill is the London-based deputy editor of the Reuters global data team. He helps lead a team of journalists who specialize in using data and advanced analysis methods for Reuters investigative journalism around the world.

After civil war erupted in Sudan in April 2023, McNeill used satellite imagery to help Reuters to peer into otherwise unreachable areas and document ethnic cleansing. During 2024, as famine followed the violence in Sudan, he again used satellite imagery to document the rapidly expanding graveyards of Sudan, providing some of the only quantitative evidence of famine’s toll. His work was twice cited by UN-backed hunger monitors when they determined famine had taken hold in Sudan.

McNeill was part of Reuters reporting teams that won international recognition during 2024 for coverage of the increasing risk of another pandemic, ethnic cleansing in Sudan and the Hamas attack on an Israeli kibbutz. He previously worked for The Dallas Morning News, South Florida Sun-Sentinel and The Oklahoman. He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University.

Previous Speakers Archive

2024—Multi-Platform Mindset: Expanding Audience, Accountability & Investigative Impact, Josh Hinkle, Director of Investigations and Innovation, KXAN, Austin, TX