Remembering the Legacy of a Pioneering Journalist
It's been an hour since I heard of the shocking news that Gwendolyn L. "Gwen" Ifill passed away at the age of 61. The news punched me in my stomach and left me feeling anxious as I remember a journalist in a class all by herself.
I have to write to ease this feeling. I need to write about a woman that I knew from a distance, but had the pleasure of meeting twice. Once at a media forum in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1998-1999 and then in 2007 at Bay Path College now known as Bay Path University.
At the media forum, filled with young journalists hungry to move up the career ladder, Ifill answered questions around career advancement and the challenges of being a minority in media. I listened to her responses and observed how she handled herself in a professional, even-tempered and warm yet authoritative manner.
She helped groom so many upcoming journalists just by being her smart authentic self. Actually, it was at this forum that I learned she had ties to western Massachusetts. Ifill graduated from Classical High School in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The second time I met Ifill was at my sister Jennifer's graduation from Bay Path College. I was surprised to learn that Ifill was in attendance to receive an honorary degree. I was excited to meet her after the commencement ceremony. The small campus was filled with activity and I could see that people had gathered outside of a main building to say hello to the popular journalist.
My sister and I had just walked out to the dining hall where juice and cookies were being served and into view of Ifill. I waited patiently while others were talking to her and then it was my turn.
I remember telling Ifill how much I admired her work and that I too had worked in broadcast news. We took a picture together and I departed only to see her a few minutes later driving away in a dark blue Mercedes. There was no one else in the car and I stared until she drove out of my view.
Like so many other people including my aunt Brenda, I enjoyed watching Ifill on the news. A familiar, competent, trusted face. She was so believable and credible. I never doubted what she had to report. I knew I was going to get the truth when I listened to Ifill. There was nothing fake about her. I also loved her interviewing style. She was never afraid to ask the tough questions and nothing seemed to rattle her even when she moderated political debates, including the first vice presidential debate during the 2004 presidential campaign between Dick Cheney and John Edwards and in the 2008 campaign, between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. I made sure to watch and she did a superb job!
Ifill's career was absolutely amazing. According to Biography.com, "After stints at such prestigious publications as The Washington Post and The New York Times, Ifill switched to television reporting when she joined NBC News in 1994 as a congressional correspondent. Besides her work as an on-air reporter, she appeared as a guest on several political programs, such as Meet the Press and Washington Week, a show that features a round-table discussion on public affairs. Impressed by her analytical skills and journalistic savvy, PBS hired Gwen Ifill for two of its news programs in 1999: NewsHour With Jim Lehrer and Washington Week. She worked as a senior correspondent for NewsHour, conducting interviews with key figures and filing reports on the latest news. Ifill also filled in as news anchor for Lehrer from time to time. On Washington Week, she served as the program's moderator and its managing editor." (www.biography.com, November 2016)
To young journalist out there, be sure to pick up Ifill's book The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama published in 2009. I plan to do the same. Her life is a great lesson for anyone aspiring to become a journalist. As PBS NewsHour executive producer Sara Just said, Ifill was a journalist's journalist and set an example for all around her.
I will miss watching you on the news Gwen Ifill, but your work and what you meant to the profession of journalism will never ever be forgotten.
Rest Peacefully,
Kathryn Kirby
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