Kristof Lectures To Kick off Exonian Week

Nicholas Kristof, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, best-selling author and columnist for the New York Times, will visit Exeter next week to give a talk about journalism, human rights and humanitarianism.Kristof, co-author of Half the Sky, will give a free, public lecture about “Reporting the Truths of the World” at 7 p.m. Monday night at the Assembly Hall. The next morning, at Assembly, his talk will focus on students’ roles in making a difference in the world, according to The Exonian’s faculty advisor Erica Plouffe Lazure. Before his evening talk on Monday, Kristof will also have dinner with Principal Tom Hassan, Gov. Maggie Hassan and several Exonian staff and faculty members.The lectures will kick off the newspaper’s Exonian Week, which will include the launch of the paper's new website and a daylong training at the Harvard Crimson newspaper April 27.Kristof began his career at the New York Times in 1984 by covering economics as a news reporter. “Fast forward 27 years later, Kristof now writes a twice-weekly column for the Times, focusing on issues of international human-rights violations,” writes Melissa Stefan on the Washington Post website. “Yet, Kristof’s most significant work as an American leader is the way in which his writing has reshaped the field of opinion journalism, a testament to the importance of reporting and the written word.”Faculty members are looking forward to the event.  “I'm excited that this opportunity is available for the entire Exeter community, beyond PEA. Mr. Kristof is one of the best reporters and columnists out there, and his work is very much in line with PEA's core values of using both goodness and knowledge to help make a better world,” Lazure said.Religion instructor Peter Vorkink expressed similar enthusiasm, citing Kristof’s influential voice on various human rights issues. “Nicholas Kristof is one of the most important voices in the public sector today for social justice, for speaking out for those who have no voice, for encouraging others to remember the least among us, both nationally and globally,” he said.Vorkink said that the school has tried for years to get Kristof to come to the Academy, and that it is “a great honor” to have him visit next week.Kristof will not only speak at the Monday evening lecture and the Tuesday assembly, but will also attend Vorkink’s senior class, Religion 490—Senior Book Club. Kristof will join seniors around the Harkness table to discussHalf The Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, his bestselling book, which the class is currently reading.“His work is the perfect embodiment of the school's motto, ‘non sibi.’ It is a great honor not only to have him here, but to visit a class and model for the students what those values of ‘non sibi’ really mean,” Vorkink said.This visit is hosted by The Exonian and is sponsored by the Richard and Joan S. Strickler Exonian Fund.“In addition to being a news source for our school, The Exonian also wants to provide educational opportunities for everyone that demonstrate the power of the press,” Lazure said, citing why The Exonian decided to bring Kristof to the Academy.Victor Wang, editor-in-chief of The Exonian, believes that Kristof’s visit will educate the student body about the importance and significance of journalism, and also hopes that The Exonian editors and writers can pick up tips from the Pulitzer prize winner. “This will be a great educational opportunity for the Exeter community to learn about how journalism can affect lives and spark discussions,” he said.Many hope that Kristof’s visit would encourage students and others to find ways to make a difference. “It's my hope that our student body will be inspired by these efforts, and find their own way to become a positive force in the world,” Lazure said. “I also hope that our students will see the power of journalism at its best, and how important writing is; how stories can change lives, and that—whether through the RAL or writing for The Exonian—we have many opportunities on this campus to learn how to tell those stories, and to become the next generation of serious, responsible and compassionate citizens.”“I can imagine students across campus getting inspired to use their writing and reporting skills to try and advocate on behalf of causes they believe in,” The Exonian’s faculty advisor Bill Jordan said.Faculty advisors of The Exonian were looking forward to changes in views of the editors and writers of The Exonian. “In training our reporters for The Exonian, we tend to focus on the objective approach to reporting, but it seems that advocacy journalism is becoming more and more common these days,” Jordan said. “So I think it’s important to have one of the best exemplars of that genre here on campus to talk with our editors and reporters and give some insights into the field and the relationship between the different kinds of journalism.”Vorkink spoke about Kristof’s importance in the international community.  He said, “Not only does he touch our conscience, but he always goes on to give us practical ways to help those people in dire needs—that’s why he’s so important.”