Broadcaster to speak about quality journalism
Broadcaster Gwen Ifill remembers watching people "like her" on TV as a little girl. Now, as the first African-American woman to host a major network political talk show, Ifill hopes to have the same inspirational effect on other little girls.\nAnd although Ifill has reported for The New York Times, covered Bill Clinton's impeachment and worked as a national broadcaster investigating ground-breaking political stories, she continues to find the most fulfilling aspect of her career outside the journalism realm. As the current moderator and managing editor of the PBS political talk show Washington Week, Ifill loves being in the "front-row of history," but she said, "It's not necessarily the story. It's knowing that the work I do is making my parents proud, inspiring young people and receiving the support and recognition of my peers. That's the real pay-off of any job you do."\nIfill will speak at 8 p.m. tonight at the Whittenberger Auditorium as part of the School of Journalism's annual Roy W. Howard lecture. The lecture is free and open to the public. \n"She is a very respected journalist," said Trevor Brown, dean of the School of Journalism. "We feel she's a very good example of serious, thoughtful journalism, one we're just delighted to put in front of Bloomington students, faculty and public."\nThe speech's subject deals with "Politics, Policy, and Reality: What's really going on in Washington." But Ifill said she's primarily visiting IU to speak about journalism and the need for high-quality journalists.\n"We've never needed good, strong journalists as much as after Sept. 11," Ifill said.\nIn recent years, Ifill said she feels journalism's reputation has deteriorated as reporters focused on court cases, such as the O.J. Simpson trial and the JonBenet Ramsey proceedings. \n"After 9-11, all eyes turned to Washington," Ifill said. "The responsibility journalists have now is to tell the story right -- to inter-connect what happens in Washington, what happens with our nation's leaders and what happens at your kitchen table."\nIfill said she enjoys speaking at college campuses because she finds it invigorating. She said she thinks it's important for people to have information and therefore she enjoys asking questions and finding answers.\nIn fact, regarding her talk tonight, Ifill said, "I'm much more interested in the question and answers, than what I have to talk about." \nAccording to Brown, Ifill is being brought to the journalism school by the Scripps Howard Foundation with the help of alumnus Dan Thomasson, a member of the Scripps Howard Foundation Board of Trustees. The foundation co-sponsors the school's annual Roy W. Howard lecture.\nBrown said the school likes to include lecturers from both the print and broadcast fields of journalism. \nPresently, Ifill works with both Washington Week and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. But, her humble beginnings date back to her days at Simmons College when she took the initiative to start writing for her college newspaper. She then joined the Boston Herald American, more as a gopher than a writer. Ifill worked her way up to the Baltimore Sun, the Washington Post and The New York Times.\nAt The New York Times, Ifill often appeared as a guest on political shows such as Meet the Press or Face the Nation. Her switch from print to broadcast journalism stemmed from the opportunity to delve into a different angle of journalism, not out of distaste for The Times. The moderator from Meet the Press dared Ifill to work for him full-time, so she accepted.\n"I was talked into it," Ifill said.\nIfill kept her eye out for opportunity in the journalism field and so she said, "Every rung on the ladder led naturally to the next step." As a current political broadcaster, Ifill wrote her first story on food, a topic that didn't interest her in the least. Likewise, she encourages aspiring journalists to remain flexible and not be afraid of starting "low."\nBrown said Ifill will provide the audience with a different perspective on world issues and what's going on in Washington.\n"She has a very distinguished record as a journalist," Brown said.