When I spoke with Jacquie Scoones of KANEKO last Friday, she told me the reason they selected four journalists to headline this fall’s Great Minds Series was because they felt it’s a field in which a tremendous amount of creativity is being applied. Referring to this week’s speakers, Nicholas Kristof and Sonia Nazario, she said, “They’re redefining what it means to be a reporter.”
Although I’ve just begun to learn about the two, I agree. For example, it was very cool to learn Kristof was the first blogger on NYT’s website. I think his competition inviting college students to travel and report with him is a brilliant idea. And, although I’m not a fan of his page yet, I’m impressed with his use of Facebook to engage his readers.
Check out my interview with Jacquie to hear her excitement about the upcoming speakers as well as an update on KANEKO’s overall mission.
Thanks to our sponsor
Here is their schedule of events:
Thursday, 7 p.m. — Nicholas Kristof: (Un)Covering Human Crises: Crucial Dispatches from the Innovative Journalist Following his remarks, Nazario will join Kristof for a conversation moderated by C. David Kotok, Managing Editor of the Omaha World-Herald. The reporters will discuss the changing roles and practices of contemporary journalists as they cover extraordinarily difficult issues and convey this information to the public
Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner, is renown for his coverage of Darfur, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other extreme human circumstances, and for his human rights advocacy. Kristof’s style of reporting sometimes blurs the distinction between journalism and activism as he covers stories others avoid, requests replies and suggestions from his readers, and actively facilitates dialogue.
Friday, 12 p.m. — Sonia Nazario: Writing as Witness: A Reporter’s Perspective Moderated by Mike Kelly, columnist for the Omaha World-Herald, the program will include extended opportunity for audience Q&A.
Nazario’s career has been devoted to writing about complex issues from new perspectives, and she is renown for tackling “hot button” topics such as hunger, drug addiction, and immigration. Providing sensible viewpoints and offering balanced solutions, Nazario’s reporting has received dozens of awards, including a Pulitzer Prize for her series in the Los Angeles Times about a young Honduran boy’s journey to the USA in search of his mother. Nazario revised the series into a book, Enrique’s Journey: The Story of a Boy’s Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother.
Friday, 1:45 p.m. — Panel: Journalists on Journalism Panelists: Nazario will be joined by Christine Lesiak, Executive Producer at NET Television and award-winning documentary filmmaker, and Joe Starita, Professor, UNL College of Journalism and Mass Communications, and former Bureau Chief and reporter for the Miami Herald. The program will encourage audience participation in the discussion, and is free and open to the public.
In addition, KANEKO will be bringing Kristof and Nazario into Omaha’s education scene. On Thursday afternoon, Kristof will speak with educators from local universities, colleges, and secondary schools while Nazario will meet with English as a Second Language resource teachers from the Omaha Public Schools. On Friday morning, Nazario will talk with secondary school students about writing and the field of journalism. Registration for the KANEKO Programs for Educators and students is free, and is available through KANEKO’s website.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit thekaneko.org.
Also, here’s a pretty cool from Kristof’s YouTube channel: Nicholas Kristof on Covering a Global Crisis.
