As an aspiring journalist, George Mason senior Leila Campbell left a recent conversation with award-winning broadcast journalist Geoff Bennett inspired.
While Campbell hopes to pursue a career in journalism, the creative writing major with a concentration in fiction also wants to publish a book. So hearing Bennett, co-anchor of national primetime news broadcast PBS News Hour, discuss his process of balancing his day job while also finding time to publish his first book was promising for Campbell.
“Learning more about his process and his dedication, persistence, and patience in getting that done really gave me an idea of what my five-year plan would look like,” she said.
Before speaking at George Mason’s annual Fall for the Book Festival on October 8 about his debut book Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to ‘90s Sitcoms, Bennett sat down with communication students for an in-depth question-and-answer session at Horizon Hall.
“It was such a wonderful opportunity,” Department of Communication Chair Kimberly Meltzer said. “I was glad to hear that he still believes—he is doing it himself—and sees the future of journalism upholding some of these longstanding tenets of good journalism. Continuing those standards for evaluating news and information—that’s what we’re teaching students in our classes.”
Bennett emphasized the importance of gaining experience in the field or through producing pieces. He urged the next generation of journalists to be curious and to hone their writing skills, while also encouraging them to embrace being team players in an industry that has seen the emergence of individual content creators.
“Bring the same rigor and same fidelity to the facts. It is harder to do,” Bennett told the group. “News is a team sport, whether you’re at the New York Times, PBS News Hour, Daily Wire, or whatever… Having sources you have cultivated that you can call upon, and being as transparent as you can about your sourcing with your audience without giving up your sources—that’s what I hope exists in this next iteration of journalism, whatever it is. Because it is so easy to impugn people’s motives and people will assume bad faith where there is none. So if your process isn’t solid, it becomes really hard to do the work.”
The intimate conversation was coordinated by Meltzer and LaNitra Berger, associate professor of history and art history. Berger moderated Bennett’s conversation at Fall for the Book at the Center for the Arts and provided Bennett with a tour of the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial in Wilkins Plaza on George Mason’s Fairfax campus.
Bennett’s discussion with students spanned his career progression, which has included stops at ABC, NBC, and NPR. He also provided insights on the state of journalism, offered career advice, and delved into his book, which focuses on the history of Black comedians and performers from 19th-century minstrel shows to the era of sitcoms and is expected to be turned into a documentary.
“It was really informative,” said Gabriela Meza, who is majoring in communication and wants to film documentaries. “He tailored each of his responses to our own path and made sure the things he was saying to us we could use. I’m walking away from this conversation with some things I could do with my work and how I can help the journalism community but also what I can do in my line of work as a documentary filmmaker.”
