“American citizens, stay tuned” - The Power of Media and Perceptions with Judy Woodruff
Photo taken by Megan Silva
Judy Woodruff visits Pacific to inspire conversation at the second Presidential Speaker Series event of the year.
The Pacific Presidential Speaker Series offers a platform for campus dialogue on the challenges and opportunities facing higher education and American society as a whole. President Christopher Callahan engages in an hour-long conversation with a distinguished guest to inspire Pacificans and the Stockton community to stay connected to current events. The second installment of the Pacific Presidential Speaker Series was on Jan. 30, 2025, featuring Judy Woodruff, a senior correspondent for PBS NewsHour. Her career has spanned five decades, with extensive coverage of politics and 12 presidential elections at NBC, CNN, and PBS. In 2022, Woodruff was awarded an Emmy for Lifetime Achievement in Television News.
The night began with Callahan inquiring about Woodruff’s latest project, America at a Crossroads, how it came to be, and what she has learned from the experience. She shared a powerful reflection on the state of American society, noting that she has never seen the country so divided and angrily polarized across the span of her 50-year reporting career. She felt it was intuitive that she would report on the state of America because she wanted to understand what was causing the divide by directly talking to the American people.
Woodruffhas traveled across 27 states and visited the Pew Research Center, the gold-standard nonpartisan organization for understanding what social issues plague society. Woodruff shared that what resonated most with her was the Center's observation that, in the past 8-10 years, Americans' attitudes toward those in opposing political parties have become more polarized. What was once a debate over policies has now shifted to labeling members of the other party as bad people. She noted that these divisions are increasingly felt at the local level. This year, Woodruff is focused on efforts across the country aimed at bridging these divides. She hopes to highlight communities where people are actively working to make a positive impact, with the hope that such efforts will grow without the need for further tragedies to spark change.
“We are all Americans. When some of us suffer, we all suffer.” - Judy Woodruff
Woodruff went on to emphasize how information spreading is vital to society. She said we are all reporters since we consume and share media, and the role of the journalist is to hold all of the powerful accountable. The public needs entertainment and education, which public media has granted at a fundamental level since the dawn of journalism.
Closing the event, Woodruff shared a hopeful message for young people, emphasizing that each generation has the opportunity to rebuild and reshape the country. She urged students that being faithful to the facts and offering honest and clear reporting is vital in a time when misinformation and disinformation fueled by hate run rampant. She encouraged students to engage thoughtfully, be courageous in their pursuit of truth, and remember that despite the current challenges, democracy still relies on informed but more importantly, respectful participation. "I salute you," she said, urging our generation to not just inherit the issues of the past but to forge a better future for all. Students and community members were invited to write on a card any question they wanted to ask Judy Woodruff, with a guaranteed personalized response.
The next Presidential Speaker Series installment will happen in Fall 2025, featuring Dr. Cathy Davidson, a leading expert on faculty-driven student success and the author of “The New Education: How to Revolutionize the University to Prepare Students for a World in Flux” and “The New College Classroom.” All featured conversations will be held in the Faye Spanos Concert Hall in the evenings and is open to the community and students.