HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College hosted investigative journalist Catherine Herridge as the fall 2025 Eugene C. Pulliam distinguished visiting fellow in journalism from Sept. 29 through Oct. 8. While on campus, Herridge taught a one-credit journalism seminar for Hillsdale students and gave a public lecture on Oct. 2 titled “The State of Investigative Journalism in the Area of National Security.”

Herridge recounted how, in a span of a few weeks, she lost her job, her employer seized her reporting records, and a federal court held her in contempt for refusing to disclose confidential sources — a court case that is still ongoing. But she said the new market created by digital platforms has allowed her to succeed as an independent journalist.

“The public is tired of the gatekeepers,” Herridge said. “The gatekeepers are panicking because controlling information is having the ultimate power, but I think the balance has really started to shift. I’m hopeful that there’s going to be a recommitment to the kind of investigative journalism that I have done my entire career, and there’s going to be a recommitment to the value of confidential reporting sources. I worry, because in this marketplace if you are a small newsroom or you’re an independent journalist, you can never withstand the kind of legal and financial pressure I have faced in the federal courts, and I hope that Congress will finally act and pass legislation that creates a uniform standard for confidential sources at the federal level.”

Catherine Herridge is an Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist covering intelligence and national security. Now independent, she previously worked for CBS, Fox News, and ABC News in London. Her work has been credited with prompting one of the largest expansions of healthcare for veterans as well as a study of health hazards at a military base that supported missions into Afghanistan. After refusing to disclose her confidential sources for a series of national security stories, she was held in contempt by a federal court last year, a case that is still ongoing. She graduated from Harvard University and the Columbia School of Journalism and lives in Washington, D.C.

As a Pulliam fellow, Herridge joins a list of notable journalists who have lent their skills to Hillsdale College, including Miranda Devine, Andrew Klavan, and Kimberley Strassel. Pulliam fellows enjoy a two-week residency on Hillsdale’s campus and teach a week-and-a-half, one-credit course in the Journalism Department. This semester, nine students took the course, which was titled “Investigative Journalism.” Fellows also consult with students who work on The Collegian, the College’s student-run newspaper.

For photos from the lecture, click here. For photos of Hillsdale College, click here. For a high-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo, click here.

About Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College is an independent, nonsectarian, Christian liberal arts college located in southern Michigan. Founded in 1844, the College has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis, with a circulation of more than seven million. For more information, visit hillsdale.edu.