Santa Clara University in California has appointed veteran Indian American journalist Fred de Sam Lazaro as the university’s inaugural Journalist in Residence, beginning Sept. 1.
He will also join the Department of Communication faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences as a professor of the practice, the university announced in a media release.
A long-standing special correspondent for “PBS News Hour,” de Sam Lazaro has reported from more than 70 countries and brings 40 years of shoe-leather journalism experience to campus with this three-year appointment.
His distinguished career includes multiple CINE Golden Eagle Awards, several Emmy nominations, a Peabody Award, and three honorary doctorates. He has also served as a Kaiser Media Fellow and a Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan.
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Born in Bangalore, India, he has also served on the boards of the Asian American Journalists Association and the Children’s Law Center of Minnesota.
In his new role, de Sam Lazaro will guest lecture in journalism and digital storytelling classes, lead student workshops, including collaborations with the Miller Center for Global Impact, and directly engage students in hands-on reporting.
He will mentor students in the journalism program, offering them a rare opportunity to participate in the full lifecycle of journalism projects, from initial research and pre-production to fieldwork and story completion.
Through this appointment, Santa Clara University will host the Under-Told Stories Project, founded by de Sam Lazaro. The Project’s documentary-style segments are available on its website, along with ancillary materials and discussion questions designed to help educators use storytelling to enhance classroom learning on some of the world’s most pressing problems.
The Project’s work is featured on the “PBS News Hour,” which is ranked the most credible and objective daily news program on television. Each segment will highlight Santa Clara University’s support to the program’s nearly two million nightly viewers.
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“Fred’s experience pursuing thorough, impactful reporting around the world will deeply enrich our campus community and offer our students unprecedented, real-world experience in ethical storytelling and global journalism,” said Provost and Executive Vice President James M. Glaser.
“A lot of my identity is folded into the Under-Told Stories Project, raising awareness and understanding of issues of human suffering and poverty, but wherever possible through a focus on solutions,” said de Sam Lazaro. “Our reporting, while solidly journalistic, reflects Santa Clara’s Jesuit commitment to social justice and poverty alleviation by telling stories that illuminate human dignity and advance the common good.”
To begin his residence, de Sam Lazaro will launch a series of international reports from Southern Africa, covering critical narratives in South Africa and Namibia, including global health and immigration.
He will also work with Santa Clara faculty to further integrate the Under-Told Stories Project’s extensive digital archive of more than 300 documentary reports and educational materials into the undergraduate curriculum.