Leading journalists, communicators to participate in ASU lecture series

The editor-in-chief of National Geographic Magazine, a veteran White House correspondent, a top ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor and the head of news at Snapchat are among the leading communications professionals headlining a speaker series this fall at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Susan Goldberg of National Geographic, Jon Decker of Fox News Radio, Matt Barrie of ESPN and Peter Hamby of Snapchat all are part of this year’s “Must See Mondays,” a free series of lectures, panels and presentations at the Cronkite School.

The series kicks off Aug. 28 with a panel discussion featuring recent Cronkite alumni on careers in journalism. The talks start at 7 p.m. in the Cronkite School’s First Amendment Forum on the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus.

This fall marks the 19th semester for the lecture series, which has brought more than 225 lecturers and panelists since 2008. Participants have included Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters, national and international news correspondents, public relations executives and journalism innovators and entrepreneurs.

“Must See Mondays’ connects our students, faculty and the community with some of the nation’s top journalists and communicators,” said Christopher Callahan, dean of the Cronkite School. “We are delighted to be hosting some of the very best leaders and innovators in our field.”

In addition to national leaders in the field, this season features several new Cronkite faculty members, including Pulitzer Prize-winner Sarah Cohen, the school’s Knight Chair in Data Journalism; former 12 News anchor Vanessa Ruiz, director of the Cronkite News Borderlands desk; former New York Times correspondent Fernanda Santos, Southwest Borderlands Initiative Professor; and former University of Pennsylvania Wharton sports expert Kenneth L. Shropshire, CEO of the ASU Global Sport Institute and Adidas Distinguished Professor.

Fall 2017 “Must See Mondays” Schedule

“Young Alums: Views from the Working World”
Aug. 28, 2017

Cronkite alumni Chelsey Davis (’13), multimedia journalist at ABC15; Shawn Deloney (’13), senior producer of creative content at the Phoenix Suns; Samantha Incorvaia (’16), digital producer at azcentral.com; Meenah Rincon (’14), media relations officer at ASU; and Steven Totten (’12, ’15), reporter at the Phoenix Business Journal; will discuss today’s media jobs in this panel discussion led by Vanessa Ruiz, director of the Cronkite News Borderlands desk.

“Sports, Media and Society”
Sept. 11, 2017

Kenneth L. Shropshire, CEO of the ASU Global Sport Institute and the Adidas Distinguished Professor in Global Sport, will explore the unifying power of sports with Dean Christopher Callahan.

“Covering the Latino Community: From the Barrio to the Border”
Sept. 18, 2017

Vanessa Ruiz, director of the Cronkite News Borderlands desk, and Fernanda Santos, Southwest Borderlands Initiative Professor, will share their experiences reporting from the border with Rick Rodriguez, Southwest Borderlands Initiative Professor.

“Reporting the News on Snapchat”
Sept. 25, 2017

Award-winning political journalist Peter Hamby, head of news at Snap Inc., will talk about the growing influence of news on Snapchat and social media in this talk with Jessica Pucci, Ethics and Excellence Professor.     

“National Geographic: Storytelling in the Digital Age”
Oct. 2, 2017

Susan Goldberg, editorial director of National Geographic Partners and editor-in-chief of National Geographic Magazine, will examine the evolution of storytelling. 

“Covering President Trump: Observations from a Veteran White House Correspondent”
Oct. 16, 2017

Jon Decker, White House correspondent for Fox News Radio, will share his experiences covering the president in this talk with Assistant Dean Rebecca Blatt.

“Data-Powered Journalism”
Oct. 23, 2017

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sarah Cohen, the Knight Chair in Data Journalism, will discuss the growing importance of data journalism with Dean Christopher Callahan.

“The Art and Science of Strategic Communications”
Oct. 30, 2017

Cronkite alumnus Margo Gillman (’93), executive director of Enterprise Transformation and Internal Communications at City of Hope, will examine strategic health communications and the critical role it plays in promoting consumer awareness with Mark Hass.

“From Cronkite to ESPN: Getting Started in Sports Journalism”
Nov. 6, 2017

Cronkite alumnus Matt Barrie (’01), anchor and studio host at ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” will share his rise from the Cronkite School to the “worldwide leader in sports” in this talk with Paola Boivin, professor of practice in sports journalism.

“The Purpose and Power of Public Broadcasting”
Nov. 13, 2017

Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, will discuss the impact of public broadcasting with Mary Mazur, general manager of Arizona PBS.

“Barlett & Steele Awards: The Best in Investigative Business Journalism”
Nov. 20, 2017

The winners of the 2017 Barlett & Steele Awards will share their award-winning investigations with Professor Andrew Leckey, president, Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism.

“NCDJ Award: The Best in Disability Reporting”
Nov. 27, 2017

The winner of the Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability will discuss disability journalism and explore their award-winning work.