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Nicholas Kristof, celebrated journalist and author, will join Sanford's Frank Bruni on Feb. 5 for a conversation covering the most pertinent issues of today's headlines. From global conflicts to contentious elections, Kristof and Bruni will discuss the landscape of 2024 through the lens of two award-winning journalists.
Kristof is a journalist and author renowned for his compelling views on politics, social injustices, and global issues. The winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, his career has taken him to various corners of the world, covering international events for The New York Times and as a contributing voice to major media outlets for nearly 40 years. His reporting on the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 earned him his first Pulitzer and introduced the world to his human-focused approach to journalism. His second Pulitzer came in 2006 for his commentary on the genocide in Darfur. Kristof's columns in The New York Times serve as a platform for his insightful commentary on domestic and international affairs. His writing style combines empathy and analysis, making complex issues accessible to a broad audience.
Beyond journalism, Kristof is a prolific author. Collaborating with his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, he has co-authored several books, including China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power (1994), Thunder from the East: Portrait of a Rising Asia (1999), Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (2009), A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity (2014) and Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope (2020). His upcoming memoir "Chasing Hope: A Reporter's Life" will be released in May.
Bruni, Eugene C. Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy and also a New York Times columnist, anticipates an engaging discussion.
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"I'm so excited to have Nick on campus and to get the chance to ask him questions before an audience because the range of his reporting – and, thus, of his insights – is so wide. He has been writing a fascinating series of columns on places around the country that are doing better at solving certain problems than other places are: He did a great piece recently on Houston's progress in finding housing for people without homes. He has spent many weeks since Oct. 7 in Israel, in the West Bank, in that region of the world, which he knows well. And he is deeply familiar – as he and his wife and collaborator, Sheryl WuDunn, showed in their 2020 book Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope – with the economic struggles of the kinds of voters who turned to Donald Trump, so I'm eager to hear his thoughts on the 2024 presidential election. Also, Nick is an increasingly rare bird among columnists and commentators: He doesn't come at issues with a predetermined partisan viewpoint but, instead, lets his reporting drive his nuanced conclusions," said Bruni.
This lecture is a part of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy's 50th Anniversary, with generous support from the David. M Rubenstein Distinguished Lecture Series. David M. Rubenstein is a Duke alumnus and former chair of Duke's Board of Trustees. The David M. Rubenstein Distinguished Lecture brings high-profile thought leaders and policymakers to campus each year. Event partners for this lecture include the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy, Sanford School of Public Policy, and American Grand Strategy and Duke Centennial. For questions about this event, please feel free to email sanfordevents@duke.edu.