Philadelphia Newsman Jim Gardner Anchors Campus Forum

He discusses journalism, politics, and more with students who took part in Lafayette's live election-night broadcast Nov. 4

EASTON, Pa.(www.lafayette.edu), December 3, 2008 — Jim Gardner, dean of television news anchors in Philadelphia, visited Farinon College Center Dec. 2 for a two-hour open forum about broadcast journalism, national politics, and other topics with students, faculty, and staff who took part in the College’s live, student-run election broadcast on Nov. 4.

For 31 years Gardner has been the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. anchor for Action News on Channel 6, the ABC-TV affiliate in Philadelphia, the nation's fourth-largest television market. He praised the students' work on the election-night telecast as a “once-in-a-lifetime academic opportunity,” adding, “what you did was astoundingly good.”

More than 400 students, faculty, and staff helped put together the "Lafayette Electoral College," a two-hour live telecast, sponsored by the Policy Studies program, that provided analysis of political trends, up-to-the-minute results, and panel discussions on races for the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives. Student anchors supplied interviews, analyses, and commentaries. Other students discussed issues, tracked political blogs, assembled pre-recorded video segments, and took part in the production end of the broadcast. The program was seen on television in the Lehigh Valley and on campus and worldwide via the internet.

This was the College's second live election-night telecast. Gardner saw the first one, which covered the mid-term elections, in November 2006 and sent congratulations to Mark Crain, William E. Simon Professor of Political Economy and chair of Policy Studies, the prime mover of the effort.

"I was blown away by the quality of the effort, its seriousness of purpose, the high level of political insight, the fine production values of the program, and the scope of the presentation," Gardner said. "I can only imagine the preparation that went into this project, and the amount of learning that took place. Perhaps most importantly, the students’ obvious enjoyment and pride came jumping off the screen."

In Tuesday's open forum, Gardner expressed admiration that Lafayette, as a small liberal arts and engineering college, was able to pull off the telecasts.

“Young people who plan to go into journalism often ask me what type of school they should go to,” said Gardner, who has interviewed every president and major presidential candidate since 1976 and covered every Democratic and Republican political convention since 1980. “I believe for any career the best option is to get a liberal arts education.”

Gardner also addressed issues such as journalistic integrity, the importance of fair and balanced reporting, political bias, news sources reflecting the communities they serve, and the historic significance of Barack Obama’s election. The forum was highlighted on the 6 p.m. edition of Action News that evening.

Copyright © 2008, Lafayette College. www.lafayette.edu

 

 

 


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