The "Ways of Washington" will be the topic of a talk at Ithaca College by a woman who has seen the nation's capital from a unique perspective. Cokie Roberts, anchor of the ABC News program This Week and a political analyst for National Public Radio, will speak on Thursday, April 17, at 8:00 p.m. in the auditorium of Roy H. Park Hall. Her talk, which is part of the Jessica Savitch Distinguished Journalism Lecture Series, is free and open to the public.
Roberts grew up in Washington as part of a political family. Her father, Louisiana congressman Hale Boggs, served for 32 years in the House of Representatives; when he was killed in a plane crash her mother, Lindy Boggs, was subsequently elected to the same House seat and served for 17 years. Though Roberts opted not to follow in her parents' footsteps after earning a degree in political science from Wellesley -- choosing instead to become a journalist -- she would ultimately find her career leading her back to Washington.
In 1977 Roberts joined National Public Radio as a congressional correspondent. Using her insider's knowledge and love for the institution, she quickly made a name for herself. While continuing to report for NPR, she also began contributing to the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour and then became a regular panelist with Sam Donaldson and George Will on ABC's This Week with David Brinkley. In 1988 she began an unprecedented arrangement that allowed her to remain as senior political analyst at NPR while serving as Washington correspondent for ABC News, anchor of This Week, and fill-in host for Ted Koppel on Nightline.
She has been honored with the Weintal Award for her coverage of the Iran-Contra affair, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Edward R. Murrow Award for outstanding contributions to public radio, and the Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for her congressional reporting.
The Jessica Savitch Distinguished Journalism Lecture Series honors the 1968 Ithaca College graduate who became an Emmy Award-winning NBC News anchor and correspondent.