Williams Hosting Forum on "Postprint" Journalism
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — There's not doubt that newspapers are under siege, worn down by commercial pressures, public apathy and their own failings. But what does that mean for the field of journalism?A collapse of newspapers, news magazines, network news operations, and news wires could leave "a dramatically diminished version of democracy in its wake" (John Nichols and Robert W. McChesney, The Nation, 3/18/09).
On Saturday, April 25, at 8 p.m. in Griffin Hall 3 on the Williams College campus, a distinguished group of journalists will consider the future of news and the institution of journalism in a forum titled "The Future of News: Journalism in a Post-Print World."
The forum will feature award-winning American journalists Thomas B. Edsall, John Kifner, Elizabeth Kolbert and Shayla Harris '97, and moderator Christopher "Kit" Jones '62.
Edsall is the Pulitzer Professor of Journalism at the Columbia Journalism School. He covered national politics for 25 years at the Washington Post. He is now a correspondent for The New Republic, The Huffington Post and The National Journal. He is also the author of four books, most recently "Building Red America" and "Chain Reaction: The Impact of Race, Rights, and Taxes on American Politics." He graduated from Boston University and was subsequently awarded fellowships from numerous universities, including the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
Kifner began his four-decade career at The New York Times as a copyboy, fresh out of Williams College in 1963. He spent the next four decades at The Times, a national and foreign correspondent, where he has covered the conflicts in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, and both Gulf Wars, receiving numerous awards for excellence in journalism.
Kolbert has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1999. Among her magazine pieces have been profiles of Hillary Clinton, Michael Bloomberg and Rudolph Giuliani. Her award-winning three-part series on global warming, "The Climate of Man," appeared in 2005. It received the American Association for the Advancement of Science's magazine writing award. Her book "Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change" grew out of the series. Kolbert is a graduate of Yale and a former reporter for The New York Times.
Harris, a 1997 graduate of Williams, is a video producer with The Times. She earned a George Foster Peabody award for "The Education of Mrs. Groves," a documentary she produced for Dateline, which chronicled the rookie year of a young, idealistic teacher at a tough Atlanta middle school. Her documentaries "Pattern of Suspicion," which investigated racial profiling, and "Children of War," which helped to expose the sad reality of Ugandan child soldiers, also won awards.
Jones, a 1962 graduate of Williams, is a former commentator and senior correspondent with Fox Television News in New York City, will moderate the event. Jones also has been anchor, bureau chief, consumer ombudsman, and investigative reporter on Channel 5 for which he has won multiple Emmys.
The forum and a newly announced fellowship honor the memory of 1966 graduate Jeffrey O. Jones.
To encourage liberal arts graduates to enter the field of journalism and to create "a journalism far superior to that of the recent past," the Williams College Class of 1962 has endowed a new fellowship in journalism for a graduating senior. The first recipient of the fellowship will be announced at the forum. The winner will receive a cash grant of $10,000 to start a career in journalism.
Jones, as editor of Williams' student newspaper, displayed the journalistic flair that would distinguish his career in numerous media-related fields. At Williams, he received the Grosvenor Cup Award, given to the senior who has best demonstrated concern for the college community. He went on to receive his master's degree in Hispanic studies from Middlebury (Vt.) College. As a Fulbright Scholar in journalism, he studied at the Institute for Latin American Political Studies and at the University of the Republic, both in Montevideo, Uruguay. He went on to become an Emmy-winning writer, producer, and film professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
The event is free and the public is invited. Seating is limited and will be on a first-come basis. For building locations, consult the map outside the driveway entrance to the Security Office in Hopkins Hall on Main Street (Route 2), next to Thompson Memorial Chapel or call the Office of Public Affairs at 413-597-4277.
