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Scott Kraft to deliver 10th annual
Huck Boyd Lecture Sept. 3, 2009

Scott Kraft will be the speaker for the 10th annual Huck Boyd Lecture. Scott Kraft, senior editor and roving correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, will be the speaker for the 10th annual Huck Boyd Lecture in Community Media at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 3, 2009, in Forum Hall of the K-State Student Union at Kansas State University. The lecture is free and open to the public.

The purpose of the lecture is to recognize the role of community journalists in helping to keep their communities strong.

Kraft, a 1977 Kansas State University journalism graduate, has covered or directed coverage of many of the world’s top stories during more than two decades as an editor and reporter.

As national editor of the LA Times from 1997 until 2008, Kraft managed a 75-person news department with bureaus in 10 cities. He directed the paper's coverage of many major stories, including 9/11, Columbine, the Clinton impeachment, the 2000 Florida recount and Hurricane Katrina. He ran the paper's presidential campaign coverage in 2000, 2004 and 2008. Under Kraft, the national staff won four Pulitzer Prizes - two in feature writing, one for national reporting and another for investigative reporting.

Kraft became an editor after a career as a national and foreign correspondent for The Times, with postings in Chicago and as bureau chief in Nairobi, Johannesburg and Paris. During a six-year assignment in South Africa, he covered the release of Nelson Mandela, the country's first democratic elections and the war in Angola. He also reported on the ill-fated American military mission in Somalia and the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Kraft has written more than 100 "Column One" stories, the LA Times's signature front-page enterprise pieces, from more than two dozen countries. His report in the Los Angeles Times Magazine on how the subservient status of women in Africa, particularly in Zimbabwe, had made them more vulnerable than women on any other continent to the AIDS epidemic, won the Distinguished Service Award for Foreign Correspondence from the Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi, in 1992.

Before coming to The Times, Kraft worked as a correspondent for the Associated Press in Missouri, Kansas and New York.

Kraft has been a member of the visiting faculty at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, and has been a featured speaker at three National Writers Workshops.

The Huck Boyd National Center for Community Media, located in the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kansas State University, has sponsored nine previous lectures.

In 1999, Bob Dole, former U.S. senator from Kansas, delivered the inaugural speech. In 2001, the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon from Illinois urged community journalists to give more attention to international news and to be willing to take strong editorial stances on local and national issues. Bill Kurtis spoke of the lessons he has learned as a journalist in his 30-year broadcasting career in his 2002 lecture. In 2003, Jim Richardson, photojournalist for National Geographic, described - in words and photos - how a sense of community is present in towns and villages all over the world.

In her 2004 lecture, Susan Edgerley, metropolitan editor of the New York Times, discussed how the Times' coverage of Sept. 11, 2001 emphasized its community focus. In 2005, Joe Posnanski, sports columnist for the Kansas City Star, spoke about sports and its influence in communities.

In 2006, Clara Reyes, publisher of Dos Mundos (Two Worlds) in Kansas City, discussed "Windows of the World Through Bilingual Print Media." In 2007, Bill Buzenberg, director of the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C., discussed "Independent media matter - to you and the world," which emphasized the critical need for the public to hear from diverse sources of information. Marlin Fitzwater, presidential press secretary under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, discussed "Community media in the White House" in his 2008 lecture.

Marlin Fitzwater delivers ninth annual
Huck Boyd Lecture Sept. 10, 2008

Marlin Fitzwater spoke with luncheon attendees after delivering the 9th annual Huck Boyd Lecture in Community Media at Kansas State University on Sept. 10.

Marlin Fitzwater, press secretary to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, delivered the ninth annual Huck Boyd Lecture in Community Media at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 10, 2008, in Forum Hall of the K-State Student Union at Kansas State University.

The purpose of the lecture is to recognize the role of community journalists in helping to keep their communities strong. The title of Fitzwater's lecture was 'Community Media in the White House.'

Fitzwater, 65, began his 40-year career in journalism and public service in his hometown, Abilene, Kan. He writes in his memoir, Call The Briefing: 'I had joined the high school Booster primarily because its ad salesmen could leave school in the middle of the day . . . and visit with local merchants. I never guessed I would love journalism so much.'

After working on several newspapers, Fitzwater moved to Washington, D.C., where he became Press Secretary to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, from 1983 to 1992. He is the only press secretary in American history to be appointed by two Presidents, and one of the few to come from a background of journalism and civil service. He also is among the longest serving presidential assistants in the White House since the Roosevelt Administration.

His first newspaper job was with the Abilene Reflector-Chronicle, where he worked with Howard and Sharon Kessinger, now publishers of the Marysville Advocate. Fitzwater worked his way through college at Kansas State University, graduating with a bachelor of arts in journalism. From 1962 to 1965, he worked as a student for the Kansas State Collegian, the Manhattan Mercury and the Topeka Capital, with his byline appearing regularly on stories about events in central Kansas. In addition, he self-syndicated a weekly column about university activities to a half dozen newspapers in Kansas.

Fitzwater dropped out of college to become editor of the weekly Lindsborg News-Record.

When the News-Record was sold, he returned to college. Fitzwater graduated from Kansas State University in 1965 and served in the U.S. Air Force.

As Presidential Press Secretary, he often spoke of his role as broker between the President and the press, fulfilling his commitment to the belief that the public has a right to know what its government is doing. He gave more than 850 press briefings in six years, winning praise from the news media and the public for his honesty and good humor.

In the post-Cold War era, his White House press operation became a model for many of the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe and Latin America.

He also was a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation and the Department of the Treasury.

Fitzwater published Call The Briefing, his memoir of his White House years in 1995, and Esther's Pillow, a historical novel of a small town in Kansas, in 2001. Today he is working on another novel, Oyster Music, about life on the Chesapeake Bay, and a collection of short stories. He also was a writer and consultant for the television show, 'West Wing,' for three seasons.

He is married to the former Melinda Andrews, and has two grown children.

He was named an Outstanding Civil Servant in government in 1980; received the nation's second highest civilian award, the Presidential Citizens Medal, from President Bush in 1992; served on the Board of the Woodrow Wilson School for International Scholars; and has received numerous other awards and honorary doctorate degrees.

The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications was dedicated in May 2002 at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire. Fitzwater lectures on communications, sponsors a series of fall journalism lectures and regularly counsels students on careers in journalism.

Fitzwater serves on the advisory board of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation and the Franklin Pierce University Board of Trustees. He received the 2004 William Allen White Citation for Journalism from Kansas University, and the 2004 New Hampshire Political Library Award for 'a decade of service with integrity to the Presidency.' He was a member of the advisory board to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center on the Chesapeake Bay.

He lives in Deale, Md., a small fishing village on the Chesapeake Bay.

Marlin Fitzwater

The Huck Boyd National Center for Community Media, located in the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kansas State University, has sponsored eight previous lectures.

In 1999, Bob Dole, former U.S. senator from Kansas, delivered the inaugural speech. In 2001, the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon from Illinois urged community journalists to give more attention to international news and to be willing to take strong editorial stances on local and national issues. Bill Kurtis spoke of the lessons he has learned as a journalist in his 30-year broadcasting career in his 2002 lecture. In 2003, Jim Richardson, photojournalist for National Geographic, described ' in words and photos ' how a sense of community is present in towns and villages all over the world.

In her 2004 lecture, Susan Edgerley, metropolitan editor of the New York Times, discussed how the Times' coverage of Sept. 11, 2001 emphasized its community focus. In 2005, Joe Posnanski, sports columnist for the Kansas City Star, spoke about sports and its influence in communities. In 2006, Clara Reyes, publisher of Dos Mundos (Two Worlds) in Kansas City, discussed 'Windows of the World Through Bilingual Print Media.' In 2007, Bill Buzenberg, director of the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C., discussed 'Independent media matter ' to you and the world,' which emphasized the critical need for the public to hear from diverse sources of information.

 

Page last updated on Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Papers selected for presentation Sept. 25-26 in Mobile, Ala.at 15th annual Newspapers and Community-Building Symposium

The 15th annual Newspapers and Community-Building Symposium, co-sponsored by the Huck Boyd National Center for Community Media and the National Newspaper Association Foundation, will be Sept. 25-26 in Mobile, Ala. during the NNA’s 123rd annual convention.

“The symposium is a good opportunity for journalists and journalism educators to share ideas and research relevant to community newspapers,” Gloria Freeland, director of the Huck Boyd Center, said.

For a list of presenters selected for the symposium, please click here: 

The College/Community Connection: 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25

From campus to community: re-imagining news coverage — Jacqui Lowman, Journalism, Mass Communication, Professional Writing, University of Maine at Presque Isle, 181 Main Street, Presque Isle, Maine 04769; 207-768-9745; jacquelyn.lowman@
umpi.edu

Why wait for a disaster when your local college can arrange one? — Dan Williams, Lyndon State College, 1001 College Road, Lyndonville, VT 05851; 802-626-4866; dan.williams@
lyndonstate.edu

A citizen’s journalism experience: critiquing news media — Frank Garred, Peninsula College, 631 Pierce St., Port Angeles, WA 98368; 360-417-6470 (work); 360-808-0648 (cell); fpg@olympus.net

Building Reader Connections: 2:15-3:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25

Rethinking the reader’s role in community journalism — Susan Brockus, Department of Journalism, California State University, Chico; 530-899-1518; sbrockus@csuchico.edu

Connecting with the community: hiring the right “face” for the newspaper — Marshel D. Rossow, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN 56001; 507-389-5522; marshel.rossow@
mnsu.edu

That loathsome, little [anonymous] column: a case study — Carol Wilcox, Virginia State University, 804-720-2391; wilcoxstiff@yahoo.com

Connecting to Readers in a Digital Age: 3:30-4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25

Bridging the digital gap in newspapers — Les Anderson, Elliott School of Communication, Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS 67260-0031; 316-978-6065; les.anderson@wichita.edu

New media options for on-line delivery: attracting the under-35 reader — Sharon Stringer, Lock Haven University, 603 Robinson Building, Lock Haven, PA 17745; 570-484-2092; sstringe@lhup.edu

Appealing to the next generation: a content analysis of community news about youth and children’s issues in Alabama’s newspapers — Anne Anderson and Jennifer Greer, College of Communication and Information Sciences, University of Alabama, P.O. Box 870172, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0172; 205-348-6304; jdgreer@ua.edu

Re-Building Community Connections: 10:15-11:15 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26

The cooperative membership model: could it work for community newspapers? — Patricia Jane Berg, Journalism Department, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, 310 North Hall, River Falls, WI 54022; 715-425-3169; Patricia.berg@uwrf.edu

Bringing journalism back: reviving a community newspaper after a large chain pulls out — Timothy Boudreau, Department of Journalism, Central Michigan University, Moore Hall 454, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859; 989-774-2354; boudr1t@cmich.edu

City and county officials’ perception of community newspapers’ role in the rebuilding of the Mississippi Gulf Coast post-Hurricane Katrina — Lawrence Strout, Mississippi State University, Mail Stop 9574, P.O. Box PF; 228-424-3635; Larry_Strout@att.net

For more information please contact:

Gloria Freeland,
Director,

gfreela@ksu.edu

Huck Boyd National
Center for Community Media
105 Kedzie Hall,
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506-1501
Tel. 785-532-0721
Fax. 785-532-5484