Award-winning journalist and senior correspondent for PBS’ “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” Ray Suarez, will speak on campus at part of Cal Poly’s Provocative Perspective this Thursday morning during Journalism Week.
A respected journalist with over 30 years of experience, Suarez will discuss how the media plays a role in shaping policy. He will also discuss the most pertinent news stories of the day.
Suarez was selected to bring his expert analysis of the media’s coverage from the recent presidential election. said Anita Wickers, the administrative coordinator for the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.
“We wanted someone who has an inside look on how the media influences policy, and Ray Suarez has a unique perspective on Washington politics which he has shown on the Jim Lehrer show,” Wickers said.
Following his presentation, Suarez will hold an informal discussion at the University Union student lounge from 10-11a.m. to discuss the media’s role in influencing policy.
Before joining “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” in 1999, Suarez was host of the national call-in news program, “Talk of the Nation,” which was broadcast on National Public Radio. Throughout his career he narrated, anchored and reported many documentaries for PBS and public radio.
Author of the book “The Old Neighborhood: What We Lost in the Great Suburban Migration,” Suarez wrote about people who abandoned the urban cities because of cultural differences and the pursuit of a better education for their children.
He has worked as a Los Angeles correspondent for CNN, a producer for the ABC Radio Network in New York, a reporter for CBS Radio in Rome and a reporter for various American and British news services in London.
The National Council of La Raza honored him with the 1996 Ruben Salazar Award, Current History Magazine honored him in 1995 with Global Awareness Award, and UCLA’s School of Public Policy honored him with the 2005 Distinguished Policy Leadership Award.
He earned his master’s degree in social sciences from the University of Chicago, and prior to that he earned his bachelor’s degree in african history from New York University. Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania has recently awarded him an honorary doctorate.
Suarez is a life member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and a founding member of the Chicago Association of Hispanic Journalists.
The Brooklyn, N.Y. native now lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and three children.
The free event will begin with a breakfast at 7:30 a.m. followed by a lecture inside Sage Restaurant, formerly Vista Grande Café, at 8 a.m.
Reservations for the event are required and can be made by phone or e-mail at 805-756-0327 and lcofer@calpoly.edu.