Veteran NBC and Washington Post reporters to speak in IU School of Journalism fall lecture series

  • Sept. 10, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A broadcaster who tells the stories of little-known individuals throughout America and a columnist who examines global political issues will visit Bloomington this fall as guests of the School of Journalism’s speaker series.

Bob Dotson of NBC’s Today Show will speak at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Ernie Pyle Hall auditorium. David Ignatius of The Washington Post is set for 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Whittenberger Auditorium in the Indiana Memorial Union. Both talks are free and open to the public.

“Though they each have worked as journalists for several decades, Dotson and Ignatius have taken distinctly different approaches to reporting and the news,” said Anne Kibbler, School of Journalism director of communications. “Both are excellent storytellers who have earned respect from their audiences and numerous accolades from their peers.”

About Bob Dotson

NBC News correspondent Dotson’s "The American Story with Bob Dotson” is a regular feature on The Today Show and other NBC News programs. His stories have taken him to every U.S. state several times, and he has logged 4 million miles with stops in little-known areas to hear the stories of “people whom most TV journalists wouldn’t notice,” he told USA Today in March.

Dotson began his career at the NBC affiliate in Oklahoma City in 1969, producing and directing 19 documentary programs in six years. He joined NBC News in 1975 as a reporter, then became bureau chief in Dallas. He says his early documentary work led to his interest in sharing people’s stories with his audience.

Dotson has received eight national Emmys and the Edward R. Murrow Award for Writing six times. One of his documentaries, El Capitan's Courageous Climbers, was the winner of seven International Film and Video Festivals awards and earned the CINE Grand Prize. He is author of three books, including the latest, American Story.

Dotson’s visit is part of the school’s Faculty Lectureship series.

About David Ignatius

Washington Post columnist David Ignatius' career spans 35 years as an editor, reporter and columnist writing on global politics, economics and international affairs. His columns appear twice weekly in the Post, his articles have been published in numerous magazines, and he is a frequent guest on Sunday morning political talk shows.

After 10 years at the Wall Street Journal covering business and politics, Ignatius joined The Washington Post in 1986 as editor of the Sunday Outlook section. He served as the Post’s foreign editor from 1990 to 1992, supervising the paper’s Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.  He began writing his column in 1998.

Ignatius received the 2000 Gerald Loeb Award for Commentary, a 2005 Edward Weintal Special Citation and the 1984 Edward Weintal Prize for Diplomatic Reporting. He served as a Fisher Family Fellow to the Future of Diplomacy Project at Harvard Kennedy School.

Ignatius is author of several books, including eight espionage novels inspired by his in-depth examination of political affairs. One of those, Body of Lies, was adapted as a Hollywood film.

Ignatius’ appearance is co-sponsored by the IU Center on Congress and the IU Institute for Advanced Study.

The School of Journalism Speaker Series gives students and area residents the opportunity to meet with some of the top media professionals in the country. Previous speakers include Seymour Hersh, Byron Pitts, Lara Logan, David Brooks and Nina Totenberg.

For more on the School of Journalism Speaker Series and to read about more than 20 other top journalists who have been guests of the program, visit the website. 

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Media Contacts

George Vlahakis

  • IU Communications
  • Office 812-855-0846
  • Cell 812-345-1500
  • vlahakis@iu.edu
  • IU Inc.

Anne Kibbler

  • IU School of Journalism
  • Office 812-855-1705
  • akibbler@indiana.edu