Jim Lehrer to Discuss Presidential Debates at CW

By Amber Lester Kennedy Friday, September 16, 2011

 

Veteran TV journalist Jim Lehrer is bringing his insight into 40 years of televised presidential debates to Colonial Williamsburg as the next speaker in the foundation’s author luncheon series.

 

Lehrer, anchor of PBS NewsHour, will speak at a luncheon beginning with a book signing at 11:15 a.m. Oct. 6 at the Williamsburg Lodge. Lunch will be served at noon, followed at 12:45 p.m. by remarks from Lehrer and a question-and-answer session. Lehrer will promote his new book, “Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain.” Price for the lunch is $30, including tax and gratuity; call 1-800-477-8679 for reservations.

Lehrer, 77, began his career in 1959, after serving in the Marine Corps and earning a bachelor’s of journalism from the University of Missouri in 1956. He was a reporter at The Dallas Morning News until 1966, then joined the staff of the Dallas Times-Herald, serving as a political columnist and city editor. He became an on-air TV personality in Dallas public television, eventually moving to Washington, D.C. to serve as public affairs coordinator for PBS. As a correspondent for the National Public Affairs Center for Television, he joined Robert MacNeil to provide continuous live coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings. With MacNeil, he began hosting NewsHour in September 1983.

Lehrer is a senior trustee of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and recipient of the foundation’s highest honor, the Churchill Bell. He has been recognized for numerous awards for excellence in journalism, including the Chairman’s Award at the 2010 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, the 1999 National Humanities Medal and in October, the National Press Club will present him with its top honor, the Fourth Estate Award.

He is a member of the Television Hall of Fame, the winner of two Emmy awards, the Fred Friendly First Amendment Award, the George Foster Peabody Broadcast Award, the William Allen White Foundation Award for Journalistic Merit and the University of Missouri School of Journalism Medal of Honor. He is the author of 20 novels, two memoirs and three plays.

His appearance is the second in the CW Book Author Series. Andrew Ross Sorkin, author of “Too Big to Fail: How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System – and Themselves” spoke at the Williamsburg Inn in March.