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School of Journalism alumna Savannah Guthrie of NBC News earned praise from many news outlets for her interviewing skills in a town hall with President Donald Trump on Oct. 15 in Miami.
In an analysis, New York Times White House correspondent Annie Karni said Guthrie got "answers from Trump by setting a fast pace and following up" as a moderator.
Jeremy Barr of the Washington Post said she "grilled Trump like few others have."
"Guthrie faced both praise and opprobrium on social media, where conservative critics lobbed insults at her and many Democrats praised her," Barr wrote.
When Trump declined to take responsibility for promoting a bin Laden conspiracy theory by arguing that he only retweeted "an opinion of someone," Guthrie responded: "You're the president. You're not like someone's crazy uncle who can retweet whatever."
The day after the town hall, Trump criticized Guthrie and her interviewing style, and former House speaker Newt Gingrich wrote a column for Fox News, saying, "Anyone who still doubts that the elite media is out to destroy President Trump should watch his NBC town hall."
Guthrie, co-anchor of NBC's "Today" show, is a 1993 UA J-school graduate. She was inducted into the UA School of Journalism Hall of Fame in 2018. Watch her acceptance speech.
"We’re so proud that Savannah Guthrie is one of our alums," said Prof. Carol Schwalbe, director of the J-school. "Her many supporters here in Tucson are cheering her on."
In comments on Facebook, Derrith Lambka ('82) said Guthrie "was outstanding."
"She knew the facts, checked the facts real-time and kept her focus on trying to get answers to the questions we the people want answers to," Lambka wrote. "She was professional and firm and in control.
"Makes me proud of the UA journalism program training we share."
More national analysis links are below and here.
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Grad Lara named Journalist of Year
Nogales International reporter Genesis Lara ('18) was named the non-daily Journalist of the Year by the Arizona Newspapers Association.
In the ANA's 2020 Better Newspapers Contest, UA alums took home 35 total awards, including nine first-place awards: Alexis Bechman ('08, three firsts) of the Payson Roundup and the Arizona Daily Star's Mike Christy ('11), Dave Ord ('84), Curt Prendergast ('11 M.A.), Caitlin Schmidt ('14) and the team of Jasmine Demers ('19 M.A.) and Justin Sayers ('19 M.A.). The Star was named Newspaper of the Year with the Casa Grande Dispatch, led by sibling co-publishers Donovan Kramer Jr. ('76) and Kara K. Cooper ('79).
In the 2019 Arizona Press Club contest, first-place reporting awards went to alums Lara (immigration), Schmidt (sports investigative), Paul Ingram (Tucson Sentinel, investigative) and Andi Berlin (Arizona Daily Star, food and beverage).
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SPJ chapter holds Foley run session
The school's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists participated in the James W. Foley Freedom Run for the sixth year and held a Zoom session Oct. 19 with Prof. William Schmidt (above) to honor Foley, a journalist murdered by ISIS in 2014 while reporting in Syria.
"Jim Foley is a symbol of what is important in journalism, the idea of bearing witness, and his death is emblematic of the real dangers involved for journalists," Schmidt said. "We've even seen (the dangers) in our own country as journalists try to cover rallies in the age of COVID."
Students Pascal Albright, Mandy Loader and Sohi Kang organized the session with SPJ adviser Prof. Susan Knight. The school raised more than $500 for the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which provides safety training for journalists.
• Watch Schmidt's talk
• Donate to Foley fund
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Scholarship forum honors Maynards
Nearly 200 people watched an Oct. 6 webinar to help launch the school's Nancy and Bob Maynard Diversity in Journalism Scholarship crowdfunding campaign.
Watch a video of the event and donate to the scholarship. The school hopes to raise $25,000 for an endowed scholarship that aims to increase diversity in media and bolster the careers of more journalists of color.
Gilbert Bailon ('81), editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, moderated a panel that included Roll Call columnist Mary C. Curtis and Kevin Merida, editor of ESPN's “The Undefeated." The three discussed racial reckoning, COVID-19, the election, objectivity and the Maynards' legacy of news media diversity.
Frank Sotomayor ('66), chair of the Journalism Advisory Committee, gave a summary of the Maynards' impact after school Director Carol Schwalbe's introduction.
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