Chris Burnett
DR. CHRISTOPHER BURNETT
Christopher Burnett specializes in environmental reporting, political reporting, media law and ethics, and media history. He came to CSULB in 2001 after a journalism and public relations career that spanned more than two decades. He has worked as a congressional and U.S. Supreme Court reporter in Washington, D.C., and as a local reporter and editor in Colorado, Michigan and New York. He also worked several years in public and government relations for political candidates in Ohio, for Colorado State University, and for the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver, Colorado.
Burnett’s research is focused on the relationship between politics and the media, and he has published scholarly articles on the use of state ballot initiatives. In 2010, he traveled the country gathering information on the use of ballot initiatives in the same-sex marriage debate for a book on the state role in the debate. His 2009 book, Policy Change and Wildlife Policy in the American States: How Breaking the Policy Monopoly Through Use of Ballot Initiatives Makes a Difference (2009) discussed how ballot initiatives thwart or promote policy initiatives on wildlife issues. He is also a co-author of Newswriter’s Handbook, Second Edition (2006).
Burnett received his Ph.D. in political science from Colorado State University in 2003. He has three sons, Drew, Brett and Kirk, and in his spare time enjoys traveling and the outdoors.
Office Location: LA4-205B
Email: chris.burnett@csulb.edu