A Night with Northwestern in DC

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The Road to the White House
A Northwestern panel discussion on the US presidential election

The 2012 presidential race was shaped by economic uncertainty, an unprecedented level of campaign and Super PAC spending, and an electorate more politically divided than at any point in recent memory.

After the results were in, Northwestern alumni and friends joined new Medill Dean Bradley Hamm for a panel discussion with political experts and professional journalists to explore what the election’s outcome means for newly re-elected President Barack Obama, our political parties, and our country.

Thursday, November 8
The National Press Club
529 14th Street, NW
13th Floor
Washington, DC 20045

6 p.m.     Reception, Holeman Lounge
7 p.m.     Welcome by Medill Dean Bradley Hamm and Panel Discussion, Ballroom

WELCOME

Bradley J. Hamm, Dean, Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications

Bradley Hamm became the dean of Medill on September 1, 2012. During his transformative tenure as dean and professor at the Indiana University School of Journalism, he led the creation of several distinctive academic programs and significantly increased both enrollment and financial aid. An expert in media history, international communications, and agenda-setting theory, Hamm holds a PhD in mass communication research from the University of North Carolina and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of South Carolina.

MODERATOR

Kelly O’Donnell (SESP87), Capitol Hill Correspondent, NBC News
Kelly O’Donnell’s reporting has taken her to all 50 states and 48 countries. A veteran of presidential politics, she provides insights and observations from a professional life spent on the road. O’Donnell, who has been on the campaign trail following the GOP field in 2012, has covered the inauguration of President Obama, traveled with John McCain and Sarah Palin in 2008 and John Kerry in 2004, and served as White House Correspondent during George W. Bush’s second term. An Emmy-winner among other journalism honors, O’Donnell is also the recipient of the 2010 NAA Alumni Merit Award.

PANELISTS

Peter Alexander, NBC News	David Chalian, POLITICO	Susan Page, USA TODAY	James Rosen, Fox News	Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times

Special thanks to the NU Club of Washington, DC, the Medill Club of Washington, DC, the Northwestern University Black Alumni Association (NUBAA), and the Kellogg Alumni Club of Washington, DC/MD/VA.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

Peter Alexander (J98), Correspondent, NBC News
Emmy Award-winning journalist Peter Alexander’s reports appear on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Today, Dateline, MSNBC, and other NBC platforms. Alexander is also a substitute anchor for the weekend editions of NBC Nightly News and Today. Since joining the network in 2004, he has covered numerous international stories — from Iraq’s historic election in 2005 to the deadly conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, and the tsunami in Indonesia. Most recently, Peter led the network’s on-the-ground reporting of the Republican presidential race, following the GOP candidates along the trail through election day. Alexander is a recipient of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award.

Related Links:

• "Romney: I left all management of Bain Capital in February 1999" - interview with Peter Alexander, NBCNews.com
• "Getting to know Peter Alexander" - EW.com

David Chalian (C95), Vice President for Video Programming at POLITICO
David Chalian is the Vice President for Video Programming at POLITICO where he oversees all of the video efforts including "POLITICO Live's" special events coverage and all new video program and product development. Prior to joining POLITICO, Chalian served as Washington Bureau Chief for Yahoo! News where he directed Yahoo! News' political coverage across the entire Yahoo! Media Network. In addition to campaign politics, Chalian managed editorial coverage of the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court. Before arriving at Yahoo!, Chalian was the political editor for PBS NewsHour where he guided all the political coverage across the program's broadcast and digital platforms. Prior to the  NewsHour, Chalian was the political director for ABC News. He won an Emmy Award as part of the team that produced ABC News’ presidential inauguration coverage in January 2009. Chalian also currently teaches political reporting in Georgetown University's graduate journalism program.

Related Links:

• "Is the tax a mandate? Obama says no" - David Chalian, Yahoo News
• "The Yahoo News election outlook: 100 electoral votes will decide contest"  - David Chalian, Yahoo News

Susan Page (J73), Washington Bureau Chief, USA Today
Susan Page writes about the White House and national politics as Washington Bureau chief for USA Today. The 2012 campaign is the ninth presidential race she has covered, and she’s interviewed the past eight presidents (three of them after they left office). She has reported from five continents and dozens of countries, and her awards include every journalism prize given specifically for coverage of the White House. 

Related Links:

• "Analysis: Obama, Romney and a turn in the debate on jobs" - Susan Page, USA TODAY
• "Affordable Care Act Analysis: Victory for Obama now, but what of election?" - Aamer Madhani, Jackie Kucinich, and Susan Page, USA TODAY

James Rosen (GJ96), Chief Washington Correspondent, Fox News
James Rosen, who joined FOX News Channel (FNC) in 1999, currently serves as the Chief Washington Correspondent and hosts the online show The Foxhole. His beats have included the White House and the State Department, and he has also reported from Capitol Hill, the Pentagon, the U.S. Supreme Court, and three dozen foreign countries. Rosen is the author of The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate, and his articles and essays have appeared in the New York Times and the Washington Post, among many other periodicals. 

Rosen lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and their two sons.

Related Links

• "TRANSCRIPT: FOX News interview with Defense Secretary Robert Gates" - James Rosen, FOX News
• "Why Bradleegate Matters: Woodward and Bernstein's deception"  - James Rosen, The Atlantic.com

Lynn Sweet (GJ75), Washington Bureau Chief and Columnist, Chicago Sun-Times
A Chicago native, Sweet earned a master's degree from Medill and received her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley after attending the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. She was a fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics in the spring of 2004. Sweet was inducted into Northwestern University’s Medill Hall of Achievement in 2007. Washingtonian Magazine named Sweet one of the capital’s “50 Top Journalists” in 2009.

Related Links

• "Lynn Sweet, The scoop from Washington" - Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times

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