The news has taken on a much greater importance in American life since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. On that terrible day in September, people across the country sat glued to their television screens, watching the horror unfold.
Since that day, the importance of staying informed has not been lost. In the weeks after the tragedies, Americans focused on the death toll, the search for the perpetrators and the sheer enormity of the destruction. For the last few months, the war on terrorism has captivated a national audience.
In this new world, a world in which the media plays a greatly expanded role in daily life, the selection of Jim Lehrer as Penn's Commencement speaker should be lauded.
Lehrer, the anchorman of PBS's widely acclaimed The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, should have no problem in imparting wisdom and insight into life after Sept. 11. Moreover, his journalistic integrity and high regard offer an example of the best in American media.
Television news coverage of the momentous events of the last few months has been harshly criticized, in many cases justifiably so. Sensationalism and bad journalism were not uncommon on the major networks or their cable counterparts. An October Gallup Poll gave the media a negative evaluation for its coverage of the war in Afghanistan. Since then the media's numbers have been better, but the fact still remains that there is a deep distrust of news organizations in a large segment of the population.
Although not as big a name as recent Commencement speakers, who include John McCain and Jimmy Carter, Jim Lehrer is one of the most respected newsmen in the country and arguably its most admired television journalist. Those not content with the often superficial treatment most stories receive on other television news programs find what they are looking for in the NewsHour, which refuses to create segments for those with short attention spans.
Jim Lehrer will not only provide the Class of 2002 with an insightful Commencement address. He stands not only as a paragon of good journalism, but also as a man of great integrity.
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