August 27, 2013

Veteran journalist will share political insights

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and nationally syndicated columnist David M. Shribman will share his political observations at Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Sept. 10.

Shribman, executive editor and vice president of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, will present “The New Architecture of American Politics,” at 7 p.m., in Student Center Ballroom B.  Admission is free and the public is welcome.  The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute is sponsoring the event.  In addition to the lecture, Shribman will also meet with journalism students while on campus.

“David Shribman is one of the most respected political observers in the country,” David Yepsen, Institute director, said.  “His winning a Pulitzer for his work testifies to that.  His work for the Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times earned him the admiration of his colleagues for his insights.”

Shribman, who writes a weekly nationally syndicated column, earned a Pulitzer Prize in 1995 for his coverage of Washington, D.C., and American politics.  He is a former Washington bureau chief for the Boston Globe, and he became executive editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2003.

His work also included serving as national political correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, covering Congress and national politics for The New York Times, and a national staff member for The Washington Star.  He was also a regular panelist on the PBS show, “Washington Week,” and frequent analyst for the BBC and CBC.

Yepsen, who is also a national expert on politics and is known for his work for the Des Moines Register, recalls Shribman regularly made treks to Iowa to cover presidential campaigns. He “usually found the stories I wish I had found first,” Yepsen said.

“Today, he grapples with the challenges of running a major American newspaper while still finding time to write essays and columns about American politics and journalism,” Yepsen said.

For more information on the program, contact the Institute at 618/453-4009 or visit paulsimoninstitute.org/.