Contact: Ralph Hanson, 308.865.8412, hansonre@unk.edu
Writer: Adrianna Tarin, 308.865.8529, unknews3@unk.edu
KEARNEY – Former Washington Post war correspondent Jackie Spinner is speaking on the topic of women journalists and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
The lecture, free and open to the public, is at 7 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 26) in the Ockinga Auditorium.
While in Iraq, Spinner survived mortar attacks, car bombs, the battle for Fallujah and a kidnapping attempt outside Abu Ghraib prison. She will discuss her experiences and how news media cover modern warfare.
“We hear far too much commentary on war coming from people who have never had a personal exposure to what it is all about,” said Ralph Hanson, communication professor and department chair. “Professor Spinner has had in-your-face experience with our two recent wars while working for the Washington Post that I think gives her an important perspective for us to hear.”
Spinner was a staff writer for the Post for 14 years and covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She wrote about her experiences as a war correspondent in her 2006 book “Tell Them I Didn’t Cry: A young journalist’s story of joy, loss and survival in Iraq.” She is currently an assistant professor of journalism at Columbia College Chicago.
“I’ve listened to her hour-long interview on the C-SPAN program ‘Q&A,’ and I’ve used that interview in my online class for several years to help my students understand what journalism is all about,” Hanson said. “So I’m thrilled that we’re able to bring her to campus.”
Spinner’s talk at UNK is funded by Faculty Senate Artists & Lectures Committee, the Department of Communication and the College of Fine Arts and Humanities.
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