Former Washington Post editor to speak at Buskirk-Chumley today

Leonard Downie, former executive editor of The Washington Post, will speak at 7 p.m. today at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave.

Downie had a long  career at the Post, lasting 44 years, 17 of which he spent as executive editor, said Beth Moellers, the School of Journalism’s director of communications.

“Basically, he’s spent his entire career at the Washington Post from 1964 on, when he joined the paper as an intern,” Moellers said. “During the Watergate era, he was an assistant managing editor on the metro desk. He’s had an extremely impressive career.”

During Downie’s tenure, the Post garnered 25 Pulitzer Prizes, according to a Washington Post article.

Downie might be discussing political issues, given the upcoming elections, Moeller said. He might also discuss other subjects such as his experiences and the ethics of journalism.

“He may talk some about the election,” Moeller said. “He might also talk about some of these tough cases where he’s had to make tough calls between the public’s right to know versus the need for national security. Also, this will be a little more of an interview format. I think it’ll be an interesting presentation.”

Junior Clare Krusing, who will introduce Downie today, said she’s very honored to present him.

“I’m a huge fan of The Washington Post,” she said. “He’s been at the Post for his entire journalism career, which is really unheard of. During Watergate, he was a metro editor, and he supervised the coverage of the Iraq War. He really spearheaded a lot of those things.”