Emmy Award Winner, OWU Alumnus Byron Pitts Discusses Role of Media

October 4, 2002

DELAWARE, OHIO -- A CBS News correspondent since 1998, Byron Pitts '82 has covered such assignments as reporting from Afghanistan and serving as the primary correspondent at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11 attack. Pitts returns to his alma mater to speak as part of the Sagan National Colloquium public affairs series on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Benes Room of the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center. In his lecture, "The Role of the Media in Times of Conflict," Pitts will share his perspective on the media during periods of conflict and crisis.

Pitts has received numerous awards for his work, including a national Emmy Award for his coverage of the Chicago train wreck in 1999 and the National Association of Black Journalists' 2002 Journalist of the Year Award. He is also the recipient of four Associated Press Awards and six regional Emmy Awards.

Currently based in New York City, Pitts has also covered news for CBS in Miami and Atlanta. He has covered such events as the Florida fires, the Elian Gonzalez story, the Florida Presidential recount, the mudslides in Central America and the refugee crisis in Kosovo. In June 2001, Pitts was one of 10 representatives to witness the execution of convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

Pitts graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1982 with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and speech communication.

The Sagan National Colloquium is in its 17th year at Ohio Wesleyan. All lectures are free and open to the public. More information is available at http://snc.owu.edu or 740-368-3995.