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Eugene Robinson
Pulitzer Prize-winning Columnist, The Washington Post and Political Analyst, MSNBC |
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Fee Code: 3
Travels from: Washington, D.C.
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 Speech Topics
Today’s News: Who’s Up, Who’s Down and What’s Really Going On
Preview Speech Clip
Eugene Robinson is on the front lines of today’s news coverage. He is a twice-weekly, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Posts syndicated in 145 newspapers across the nation and is a prominent commentator on MSNBC. With an innate ability to cut through the clutter and provide clarity on today’s events, Robinson’s insights are free of the usual inside-the-beltway jargon. While media outlets may be tempted to churn out news served on a platter by candidates and companies, Robinson takes a step back not only to look at the big picture, but to focus on deeds—not just words. Whether he’s assessing politicians, cliff-hanging events on Wall Street or the 2010 midterm elections, he reminds us that politics may not be for the faint of heart but sure can be fun to watch.
We’re Someplace We’ve Never Been: Race, Diversity and the New America
As the election and presidency of Barack Obama have put American in a new era of race relations, Eugene Robinson provides a compelling look at race relations and diversity today. The author of Coal to Cream: A Black Man’s Journey Beyond Color to an Affirmation of Race, Robinson explains why old conceptions of race in America are obsolete. Born into the segregated South, Robinson shares his memories with audiences, telling of the civil rights movement’s culminating years during a time when he was one of a handful of black students at a predominantly white high school in South Carolina. He reviews the:
· Enormous educational and economic progress made by African-Americans since the 1960s
· Sharp increase in interracial marriage
· Rise of Latinos as the nation’s largest minority group
· Economic polarization that divides Americans by class
· Scientific consensus that race is ultimately meaningless except as an artifact of society
Revolution or Evolution? A Media Transformed and the Impact on You
The number one question among journalists today is what new economic model will emerge to fund investigative journalism. While there is a wealth of news commentary, we are faced with a dearth of factual reporting. Eugene Robinson’s unique 25-year career includes covering beats as varied as city hall, foreign affairs, pop culture and national politics. He reminds audiences that while the media may have its failings, the profession is a time-honored watchdog that fights corruption and abuse. Today’s media holds extraordinary power over the political life of the nation and is less subject to control, even by the media moguls who are nominally in charge. The rise of 24-hour cable news and the Internet have vastly increased the flow of information, but have also short-circuited the traditional process. Robinson provides insights on the following:
· The impact of the decoupling of news and advertising
· Fundamental trends in how news is gathered, presented and consumed
· Why, in spite of the challenges, many news organizations are environments wherein there is increased innovation and a growing connection to readers
Why We Can’t Afford to Ignore Latin America
Having spent years as a foreign correspondent in Latin America, Eugene Robinson has become an expert on the region. The author of Last Dance in Havana: The Final Days of Fidel and the Start of the New Cuban Revolution, Robinson, who is fluent in Spanish, has made a dozen trips to Cuba and interviewed all the key leaders in the region. He shares his views on the greatly ignored but vital hemisphere, key leaders and countries. Robinson explains that because Latin America plays an increasingly dominant role in global affairs, it is much easier to prevent problems with effective diplomacy rather than having to solve them after the fact. The United States has an imperative to improve diplomatic relations in the region in order to:
· Advance our mutually dependent economies
· Improve public opinion in the region
· Advance the cause of human rights
· Manage the issue of immigration
About Eugene Robinson
» Meet Eugene Robinson
Popular Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Gene Robinson cuts through the clutter of words to focus on intent, objectives and accomplishments of the Obama Administration and Congress.
Gene Robinson has the ear of inside-the-beltway political insiders. With more than 25 years of reporting experience, his incisive political commentary is welcome on news programs such as MSNBC’s Hardball, Countdown and The Rachel Maddow Show and NBC’s Meet the Press. Widely recognized for his uncanny ability to speak truth to power, Robinson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who brings audiences a tested perspective on today’s political news while looking to the future in analyzing the 2010 midterm elections. In his various roles at The Washington Post and while reporting abroad, Robinson has witnessed firsthand the revolution taking place online and in the 24/7 news cycle and has seen how the news media is influencing American culture. As one of the most prominent African-American intellectuals on the culture scene and author of Coal to Cream: A Black Man's Journey Beyond Color to an Affirmation of Race, Robinson also shares with audiences his understanding of race relations in the United States and explains why many popular conceptions are now obsolete. His latest book, Disintegration, is scheduled for release in 2010.
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