New York Times Reporters Will Discuss Race In America Series
Nov. 10, 2000
University Park, Pa. - On Monday, November 27, three reporters from The New York Times will visit Penn State to discuss a series of articles on "How Race is Lived in America" that the paper ran over the summer.

The discussion, co-sponsored by the Penn State College of Communications and The New York Times, will be held from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. in Penn State's HUB Auditorium, and is free and open to the public. A public reception will follow from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the HUB Ballroom.

A year ago, the Times' editors decided to spend a year looking at issues of race in America. The paper sought to move beyond the albeit important discussions of Civil War flags and racial profiling to take on more subtle issues that pervade everyday existence in such arenas as the workplace, churches, and schools.

The series, which culminated in fifteen front-page feature articles run in June and July, received widespread acclaim. The experience of the reporters who wrote the stories was a significantly eye-opening one-so much so that the Times decided to send reporters to communities throughout the country to discuss their observations and how they changed throughout the process of writing of the stories.

"Possibly no greater challenge faces journalists today than providing comprehensive, consistent, accurate, and systematic coverage of issues and events brought about by the rapidly changing demographics of the United States," says Douglas Anderson, dean of the College of Communications. "

The Times' series is an impressive journalistic effort. We are pleased these reporters will be on campus to discuss not only the effort that went into it, but also the impact of it."

Amy Harmon, Steven A. Holmes, and Tamar Lewin are the three Times reporters who will visit Penn State. Harmon wrote "A Limited Partnership" about an African American entrepreneur who had the idea for an Internet start-up, and his white partner in the venture who became the public face of the company. Holmes' article, "Which Man's Army," explores race issues in the military. Lewin's piece, "Growing up, Growing Apart," follows three longtime friends' struggles to resist the pressure to move into separate, race-divided worlds as they enter high school.

Contact: Angie Brown Coordinator of College Relations College of Communications The Pennsylvania State University 302 James Building University Park, PA 16801-3867 (814) 865-8801; http://www.psu.edu/dept/comm