April 2, 2008

MEDIA CONTACT: Adela de la Torre: (202) 994-6424; adelita@gwu.edu
TICKETS: Tom Robins: (202) 994-6520; trobins@gwu.edu

CASEY MURROW, RICHARD C. HOTTELET, AND MARVIN KALB CELEBRATE EDWARD R. MURROW CENTENNIAL AT GW
APRIL 24, 2008

The George Washington University and The Smithsonian Associates Present Seminar on Life and Legacy of America's Greatest Broadcast Journalist

WASHINGTON - From his riveting radio reports of World War II to his dramatic television showdown with Sen. Joseph McCarthy, Edward R. Murrow established the gold standard for American broadcast journalism. Celebrating the centennial of the legendary broadcaster's birth, Murrow's son Casey Murrow and former colleagues Richard C. Hottelet and Marvin Kalb will explore Murrow's life and legacy at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 24, 2008, in GW's Jack Morton Auditorium, located at 805 21st St., NW. The seminar will be moderated by Michael Freedman, GW vice president and professorial lecturer in journalism and former general manager of CBS Radio Network News.

"In the midst of an unprecedented transformation of American media, no one serves as a better reminder than Murrow that a free and vibrant press is a cornerstone of democracy," said Freedman. "The Murrow centennial presents a unique opportunity to consider the impact one man had on his profession and our nation because he possessed the talent, desire, and sense of responsibility to practice good journalism and fight for what he believed in. And who better to apply Murrow's life and work to today's journalistic challenges than the three people we have gathered: a member of the vaunted Murrow Boys of World War II, Richard C. Hottelet; the last correspondent personally hired by Murrow at CBS News, Marvin Kalb; and Casey Murrow, who has followed in his father's footsteps as an educator? Perhaps the next Murrow will be one of the GW students in our audience. The best way to reach her or him is to remember Murrow and show a new generation why he matters now."

Both Hottelet and Kalb currently serve as James Clark Welling Presidential Fellows at The George Washington University. Kalb and Freedman have collaborated for 15 years on GW's highly acclaimed, award winning Kalb Report series at The National Press Club, and Hottelet has guest lectured GW journalism students in Freedman's radio news course for 14 consecutive semesters. Hottelet also has honored GW by donating his papers, including his CBS News scripts dating back to D-Day, to the university's archives.

Casey Murrow is the founder and co-director of Synergy Learning International, a non-profit organization assisting schools, teachers, and families with science, math, and technology learning for children. Synergy Learning conducts professional development programs for teachers and publishes Connect, a national magazine for K-8 educators.

Casey has served as an elementary teacher in public schools in Washington, D.C., Vermont, and England. He is the co-author of Children Come First, author of Using Our Communities, and editor of several books in an early childhood literacy and science series funded by the National Science Foundation.
   
In 1944, at the age of 26, Hottelet was hired by Edward R. Morrow and became part of the team that invented broadcast journalism at CBS Radio. On June 6, 1944, he broadcast the first eyewitness account of the seaborne invasion of Normandy on D-Day, having flown in a bomber that attacked Utah Beach six minutes before H-Hour. He also covered the Battle of the Bulge and later parachuted to safety when the plane he was in was shot down by enemy flack. Hottelet remained with CBS News for 41 years. Today, he continues to lecture and write.

Kalb was the last correspondent personally hired at CBS News by Murrow. He went on to become chief diplomatic correspondent for both CBS and NBC News and served as the moderator of Meet the Press.  Kalb also was the founding director of the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Today, in addition to serving as moderator of GW's Kalb Report series, he is a contributing analyst on Fox News Channel. Among his many honors are two Peabody Awards, the DuPont Prize from Columbia University, and more than a half-dozen Overseas Press Club Awards.

Michael Freedman is a 30-year, award winning broadcast journalist, network executive, university administrator, and teacher. He is now in his eighth year as vice president for communications and a professorial lecturer in journalism at The George Washington University. In his previous positions as general manager of CBS Radio Network News, managing editor for the broadcast division of United Press International, and as a local broadcaster in Detroit, Freedman and his teams received more than 85 journalistic honors including 14 RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Awards. Most recently, Freedman was honored with the RTNDA D.C. Chapter's Peter Hackes Memorial Award for career contributions to broadcast journalism in Washington, D.C.

The Smithsonian Associates provides educational and cultural programs that highlight and complement the work of the Smithsonian Institution through a wide variety of formats including lectures, seminars, performances, and events on the National Mall and across the country.

Located four blocks from the White House, The George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the nation's capital. The university offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business, and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 120 countries.

For more news about GW, visit the GW News Center at www.gwnewscenter.org.

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