April 12, 2024
SIU’s Paul Simon Institute to host NPR journalist Scott Simon
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Award-winning broadcaster, commentator and author Scott Simon will visit Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute on Wednesday, April 17, to meet with students and discuss his groundbreaking career in journalism.
Simon and John Shaw, institute director, will discuss Simon’s career and the challenges facing American journalism during the free, public discussion at 6 p.m. in Student Center Ballroom B. Registration to attend the discussion is recommended but not required.
The institute will also host a reception in the Student Center’s John W. Corker Lounge at 5 p.m., and Simon will meet with SIU students and faculty to discuss his career in journalism.
Simon is host of National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition Saturday with more than 4 million regular listeners and NPR’s morning podcast Up First. A native of Chicago, Simon has been with NPR for more than four decades, beginning in 1977 as its Chicago bureau chief. He has reported from all 50 states and five continents and has written nearly a dozen books. He has won virtually every major award in broadcasting, including an Emmy, the Peabody, the Columbia-DuPont, the Sidney Hillman Award and the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award. He also received the Studs Terkel Award and in 2016 was inducted as a Lincoln Laureate by The Lincoln Academy of Illinois.
Simon has hosted television specials on PBS and the BBC and appeared as a guest and commentator on major networks, including the BBC, NBC, CNN, C-SPAN and ESPN. He has contributed articles to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and other publications.
“Scott Simon has had a remarkably wide-ranging and interesting career, with striking successes as a broadcast journalist and essay and book writer. He has reported from around the world but has also retained a deep interest in, and affection for, Illinois,” Shaw said.
Attendees are encouraged to submit questions on the registration form or email questions to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu.
More information, a list of the institute’s upcoming events and past speakers and events are available.