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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Friday, March 29, 2024

Katy Tur to headline 2018 Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism

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Katy Tur speaks at an event titled "The War at Home: Trump and the Mainstream Media" on March 16, 2017.

The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life will host NBC News journalist Katy Tur as its main speaker for the thirteenth annual Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism on Wednesday, April 11, at noon. The forum, held in conjunction with the Film and Media Studies Program and the Edward R. Murrow Center for a Digital World, is part of the Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series.

The event is spearheaded by Julie Dobrow, a professor of Child Studies and Human Development and a Senior Fellow for Media and Civic Engagement at the Tisch College of Civic Life, who has been involved in the Murrow Forum since its conception. Dobrow stated that its creation was inspired by the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy’s collection of papers from CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow’s library.

“It just made sense because we have the majority of Edward R. Murrow’s papers at Tufts that we do an event named for Murrow,” she said.

Dobrow said she worked with Neal Shapiro (LA '80), former executive producer of "Dateline NBC" and current CEO of WNET, to select the speaker for this event. Dobrow also stated that the speaker is interviewed each year by Jonathan Tisch (A '76), Chairman Emeritus of the United States Travel Association who serves on Tufts' Board of Trustees.

“[Tisch] is a marvelous interviewer and [he’s] become a really important part of the tradition,” Dobrow stated.

Jen McAndrew, the Director of Communication and Strategy Planning at Tisch College, said she views the forum as a celebration of journalism's role in society.

“This event is really a recognition … that bringing high profile journalists and anchors to campus to have a candid conversation for students really advances all of our learning of how journalism and media work and how they contribute to informing the public on important issues,” McAndrew said.

She added that this is the second year Tisch College has been involved in planning the event.

Civic-mindedness in media consumption will also be central to the forum, according to Jessica Byrnes, Special Projects Administrator at Tisch College, who sensed that the public generally views media consumption as passive.

“I think it’s important to reframe that idea of what it means to consume media and to produce media,” she said.

Tur, the featured speaker, was NBC’s embedded reporter for the Trump campaign throughout the 2016 Republican primaries and the general election. During the election campaign, she appeared on television nearly 4,000 times, according to a press release by Tisch College. For her coverage of the election, Tur received the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Journalism, according to the press release. She currently works as an NBC News correspondent and anchors the 2 p.m. hour of “MSNBC Live."

While at Tufts, Tur will hold a signing for her 2017 book "Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History," based on her experiences covering the 2016 election.

Dobrow stated that Tur’s “front seat” position in the Trump campaign as well as her success in its coverage made her an optimal speaker.

“I’m hoping that this will be an opportunity for students, regardless of their political affiliation, to come and learn from somebody who I think has had a really interesting perch to observe what’s been going on in our country for the last couple of years,” she said.

“I think she represents a new generation of journalists who are doing some really interesting and cutting-edge things,” Dobrow added.

McAndrew reaffirmed Dobrow’s sentiment that Tur represents a new trend in journalism.

Referring to the fact that then-candidate Trump had ridiculed Tur along with other journalists, McAndrew added that Tur has had “really interesting experiences with being both the reporter and being in the story.”

“I’m really interested in talking about that and hearing about the perspective. I’m sure students are, too,” she said.

CORRECTION: This article has been updated to reflect that Film and Media Studies is a program, not a department, and to clarify Dobrow's affiliations. The Daily regrets these errors.