The Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism will return to Tufts for the first time since 2018 at noon on April 3 with CNN’s Abby Phillip slated as this year’s speaker. Sponsored by Tisch College’s Solomont Speaker Series, Phillip will discuss her work at CNN with Tufts alumnus and trustee Neil Shapiro (A’80).
“I am thrilled to headline the 15th Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism at Tufts University,” Phillip wrote in a statement to the Daily. “Murrow’s legacy is more relevant than ever in our changing media landscape, and his impact on journalism remains profound. I look forward to a robust conversation about the future of media and reporting, and to sharing my experiences and perspectives with the Tufts community, especially students.”
Phillip is CNN’s senior political correspondent and anchor of “Inside Politics Sunday,” an hour-long dive into the week’s most important political stories. Phillip joined CNN in 2017 to cover the Trump Administration and served as White House correspondent until 2019. In January 2020, she moderated CNN's Democratic Presidential Debate in Iowa, and in November 2020, she anchored special coverage of 2020’s Election Night in America.
"Tisch College is proud to welcome Abby Phillip to campus as this year’s Murrow Forum speaker,” Dayna Cunningham, the dean of Tisch College, wrote in a statement to the Daily. “As an anchor at CNN, and a leading journalist of color, her voice is shaping political analysis and reporting in this country, at a time when our democracy is strained, our institutions are under scrutiny, and our communities are confronting big challenges. We look forward to hearing from Abby about her own career and journey, and about the civic role of the press at this critical time.”
Shapiro is the president and CEO of WNET in New York City, the largest public media enterprise in the US. Before joining WNET in 2007, he was president of NBC News. He has won 32 Emmys, 31 Edward R. Murrow Awards and three Columbia DuPont awards.
Hosted by the Jonathan M. Tisch College for Civic Life, the Murrow Forum discusses current topics in journalism with notable figures in media. Past speakers have included Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, Lester Holt and George Stephanopoulos.
The event is co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science, the Film and Media Studies Program, Tufts ACTION, the Africana Center, the Tufts Archival Research Center and the Murrow Center for a Digital World at The Fletcher School.
The Murrow Forum will take place in Distler Performance Hall. Registration for in-person attendance is now open at this link.
