John Harwood to deliver annual Creason Lecture

By Genevieve Adams

Every year the university hosts a member of the journalism community to reach out to students about the issues concerning today’s media.

Since 1977, the Joe Creason Lecture Series has attracted students, faculty and the general public with its prestigious speakers and pertinent context.

The Creason Lecture, put on by the School of Journalism and Telecommunications in conjunction with the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, is meant to honor the advancements in journalism.

On Wednesday, April 11, John Harwood, a veteran in the journalist field and Chief Washington Correspondent for CNBC, will deliver the lecture. He has also worked at The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Harwood, a Louisville native, is returning to his Kentucky roots to talk about a specific issue in the journalism community and the media’s role in today’s society.

Harwood has made a name for himself through his coverage of multiple elections and his weekly column in The New York Times, “The Caucus.”

He has also appeared regularly on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and “Washington Week,” a public affairs program on PBS.

“After we honor six journalists for their outstanding careers, we hear from a leading national journalist about the issues in our craft,” said Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, about the event. “Because that craft is an essential element to democracy, the lecture is a great opportunity for the campus community and the wider public to consider those issues and interact with the visitor.”

As a member of the journalism world himself, Cross said he is excited for the university to hear from such a prominent figure.

“John Harwood is one of the leading journalists in Washington and we are very pleased to welcome him back to his native state as the Creason lecturer,” Cross said.