Leadership and Character Co-Sponsors “Race and the Media: A Roundtable Discussion Among Journalists”

“I see it as my job to make sure that other voices are heard,” said Jeri Young, managing editor of the Winston-Salem Journal at “Race and Media: A Roundtable Conversation Among Journalists,” a discussion hosted at Wake Forest on Tuesday, November 10. Audra D.S. Burch, a national correspondent for The New York Times, and Robert Samuels, a national political reporter for The Washington Post, joined as co-panelists. The discussion was moderated by Philip Cunningham, assistant professor in the Wake Forest Department of Communications.

Their wide-ranging conversation focused on diversity in the newsroom, their personal experiences with racial discrimination as reporters, and the future of news media in America. Their responses reflected the belief that reliable, fair news that reflects diverse points of view is needed now more than ever, as our country confronts Covid-19, racial injustice, and increased political polarization. The panelists responded to audience questions at the end of the conversation, with Audra Burch urging young journalists of color to not “leave who you are at home. Bring your whole self to your craft.”

The panel discussion was organized by the Wake Forest Journalism Program and was co-sponsored by the Program for Leadership and Character, the Office of the Provost, and the Humanities Institute at Wake Forest, as well as the National Endowment for the Humanities.