By Jack Jeffery
Staff writer
Two distinguished communicators who have insights into the White House and international affairs are among speakers for this year's Communication Week events at Ohio University.
Hodding Carter III, former assistant secretary of state for public affairs in President Carter's administration, will deliver the keynote address for Journalism Day activities at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 2, in the Athena Theater in Uptown Athens. The talk is free and open to the public.
Carter is the recipient of this year's Carr Van Anda Award, the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism's highest honor. The award was established in 1968 to honor journalists who have made significant contributions to the field. The award is named for former Ohio University student Carr Van Anda, editor of The New York Times from 1904 to 1932, who is best known for his reports on the sinking of the Titanic.
Carter, currently president and CEO of the Knight Foundation, gained prominence during the Iran hostage crisis and was previously spokesman for the Department of State. Carter has worked as a reporter, editor, publisher and anchor, and he has contributed to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Washington Post. He has won a number of awards including four national Emmy awards and the Edward R. Murrow Award. Carter has appeared on "Frontline" and "This Week with David Brinkley" and has served as a host, anchor, panelist and correspondent for public affairs shows on PBS, ABC, CBS, BBC and CNN. He has written two books, "The Reagan Years" and "The South Strikes Back."
Former NBC White House reporter John Palmer will deliver the keynote speech for Political Communication Morning at 11 a.m. Friday, May 3, in the Radio-Television Building's Forum Theater. His talk is free and open to the public. He was news anchor for the "Today Show" in New York City for seven years, hosted the weekly "Discovery Journal" on The Discovery Channel and anchored the Christian Science Monitor's national news broadcast, "World Monitor."
During his 40 years in broadcast news, Palmer has covered breaking stories throughout the world. As White House correspondent for NBC News, he covered presidents from Carter through the George W. Bush administration. He delivered the first news reports of the aborted rescue attempt of American hostages in Iran on April 25, 1980. Palmer's White House press corps colleagues honored him with the Merriman Smith Memorial Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage.
He also has extensive overseas experience. Palmer has also covered the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, the Arab oil embargo, the war in Cyprus and the civil war in Angola.
The speeches are just part of many events being held as part of Ohio University's 34th annual Communication Week, celebrating the six units within the College of Communication from Saturday, April 27, through Friday, May 3. The week will include events, speakers and panel discussions that are designed to encourage student interaction with prominent leaders in the communication field and draw alumni to campus.
Among other highlights of the week are:
- The School of Visual Communication exhibition opening will be held on from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, April 27, at the Dairy Barn Southeastern Ohio Cultural Arts Center in Athens.
- Gerry Moersdorf, founder of Applied Innovations and keynote speaker for the J. Warren McClure School of Communication Systems Management Day, will discuss "The Weird Effects of Regulation on Telecommunications" at 1:10 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, in the Baker University Center Ballroom.
- A panel discussion featuring professional journalists and moderated by E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Director Michael Real will discuss the impact of September 11 on the media and news coverage at 9:10 a.m. Thursday, May 2, in Scripps Hall room 111. Panelists include Associated Press Deputy Business Editor Kevin Noblet, Cleveland Plain Dealer Editor Doug Clifton and WBNS-TV anchor Dave Kaylor.
- Clifton will moderate a panel discussion, "First Amendment Since 9/11" at 1:10 p.m. in Galbreath Chapel.
- Lawrence Grossberg, the Morris David professor of Communication and Cultural Studies at the University of North Carolina, will present a public lecture, "Hegemony and the Third America Revolution," at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 2, in the Central Classroom Building room 310. His talk is sponsored by the School of Interpersonal Communication.
- The Ohio University forensics team will perform "Night of 1,000 Voices" from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 2, in the Baker University Center Front Room.
- Outstanding Interpersonal Communication alumnus Mark Orbe will discuss "Survival, Success or Significance: What's the Mindset of Today's Emerging Communication Scholars?" at 3 p.m. Friday, May 3, in Baker University Center room 327.
