The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.
January speaker offered insight into his life's calling
Journalism. It’s a tough job with insane hours and pretty crappy pay. On the other hand, everybody hates you.
With that tongue-in-cheek tweet by fellow journalist Francis Lam, our January luncheon speaker, PBS correspondent and University of St. Thomas educator Fred de Sam Lazaro, commenced a marvelous presentation on his globe-spanning career as a broadcast journalist.
After graciously acknowledging the education his offspring have received at the U of M, where the three of them collectively have received or are completing a total of seven degrees, de Sam Lazaro briefly discussed changes in the media landscape over his three-plus decades as a journalist, including the eroding credibility of many media outlets—PBS and the BBC being the most notable exceptions—and the drastic shortening of news segments and consequent increase in the difficulty of covering stories in sufficient depth.
Still, he has found a formula to teach about the world. He focuses on stories whose importance far exceeds their media profile. He typically finds one compelling figure—a person at once both ordinary and extraordinary—to captivate viewers and help them understand the larger issue. While some stories have tragic elements, their protagonists’ resilience and creativity inspire.
To illustrate his approach to storytelling, de Sam Lazaro shared video clips on subjects as varied as the garment industry in Bangladesh, water issues in Israel and Gaza, the tragedy of obstetric fistula in Kenya, and music’s life-changing impact on child development in an Indian school.
Several personal strengths have fed his success as a reporter: his ability to sniff out important stories in unexpected places, the wealth of knowledge that permits him to put the local into global context, his deep admiration for those who people his stories, and surely, above all, the genuine empathy that his subjects sense in him.
UMRA members who were unable to attend the presentation, or those whose appetites were whetted for more, can find more than 300 of de Sam Lazaro’s stories on the website of his Under-Told Stories Project at undertoldstories.stthomas.edu. There you can also sign up to receive the project’s email newsletter and follow it on social media.
—Chip Peterson, UMRA past president
Making the foreign less foreign
Tue, January 22 2019, 11:30am
West Wing Dining Room, Campus Club, Fourth Floor, Coffman Memorial Union
“How tech is putting the needs of impoverished Kenyans on the map.” “Karachi and Mumbai: A tale of two megacities.” “Health care workers brace for new cholera epidemics in Haiti.” “The race to develop coffee that can survive climate change” (El Salvador). “Does solar power offer a brighter future for off-the-grid Navajo residents?” “This school in India proves music can change lives.” “Reporter’s notebook: Covering Ebola in Nigeria while navigating corruption.”
These are but a sample of the stories from more than 60 countries that our January speaker has covered during his 30-plus years as a journalist.
To fellow PBS fans, Fred de Sam Lazaro needs no introduction. In addition to reporting for the PBS NewsHour from 1985 to the present, he was a regular contributor and substitute anchor for PBS’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly and has directed films from India and the Democratic Republic of Congo for the acclaimed documentary series, Wide Angle.
“Making the foreign less foreign,” the title of de Sam Lazaro’s January 22 talk to UMRA, encapsulates his life’s work. He pursues this theme not only through his reporting but also through his directorship of the Under-Told Stories Project, a partnership between St. Thomas and the NewsHour to report stories largely ignored in the mainstream U.S. media.
The project produces high-quality, multimedia reporting for public and commercial news outlets on a range of topics, many of them highlighting the work of social entrepreneurs who are improving lives around the world. The 20-odd stories that Fred produces annually for the NewsHour are used to engage St. Thomas students in courses, internships, and mentoring opportunities, through which they develop hands-on skills in media production while reflecting critically on under-reported news stories from throughout the world.
De Sam Lazaro is the recipient of two honorary doctorates, numerous journalism awards, and media fellowships from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the University of Michigan. He is a trustee at the College of St. Scholastica, his alma mater; serves on the board of MinnPost, a Minnesota-based nonprofit online news service; and has also served on the boards of the Asian American Journalists Association and the Children’s Law Center of Minnesota. A native of Bangalore, India, he lives in St. Paul.
Despite the larger West Wing venue for our January meeting we expect a capacity crowd, so you are encouraged to make your reservations early.
—Chip Peterson, UMRA past president
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.