Talks @ Pulitzer: Reporting Famine and Other Crises

On Wednesday, May 7, author Suzanne Franks joins with the Pulitzer Center to focus on how journalists report on disasters around the globe. Part of her interest is in looking back: In 1984, the reporting of a 'biblical famine' in East Africa, combined with the pop star glamour of Live Aid, confirmed a predominance of TV news and changed the dynamics of the aid business forever. For Franks, it defined a generation's view of Africa and had a long term influence on the nexus of global politics, celebrity and the media.

Franks is the author of "Reporting Disasters: Famine, Aid, Politics and the Media" (2013) and a former BBC Television journalist who worked on programs such as Newsnight and Panorama. When she left the BBC in the 1990s, she founded an independent production company for the creation of political and current affairs programs, including several films about Africa. Franks eventually moved to the University of Westminster and subsequently completed a PhD in 2007 on foreign reporting and the Ethiopian famine. In 2012 she was appointed to a chair in journalism at City University London. She leads the university's undergraduate program, including teaching a course on Humanitarian Communication, while also supervising PhD students and contributing to research on journalism.

We'll start the evening on May 7 with a light reception at 5:30 pm, followed by remarks at 6 pm.
Space is limited so reserve your seat today: [email protected]—specify in subject line: "May 7 Talks @ Pulitzer."

Wednesday, May 7
5:30-7 pm
Pulitzer Center
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 615
Washington, DC 20036
Closest Metro: Dupont Circle

The event will be livestreamed using Google Hangout on Air. Watch above (refresh the page if you do not see a video) or on YouTube. Tweet your questions to @pulitzercenter.