Otis Sanford

Otis Sanford is professor emeritus in the Department of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Memphis. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book, “From Boss Crump to King Willie: How Race Changed Memphis Politics,” and co-author of “In a Colorful Place: Seasoned Opinion About Memphis, About Home, About Life.” Sanford serves as political analyst and commentator for WATN-TV ABC24 News, as a columnist for The Daily Memphian and as political analyst for WKNO-FM, the NPR affiliate in Memphis. Sanford formerly served as managing editor, editorial page editor and Viewpoint columnist for The Commercial Appeal in Memphis. He retired in 2023 as the Hardin Chair of Excellence in Journalism at the University of Memphis. He also worked at newspapers in Jackson, Miss., Pittsburgh and Detroit. He is a past president of the Associated Press Managing Editors and past chairman of the Mid-America Press Institute. In 2014, he was inducted into the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame. Sanford graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Mississippi and lives in Memphis, Tenn. 

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