Brian Williams Addresses Crowd at Tufts

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams was the featured speaker on Monday for Tufts University’s annual Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism.

Williams, a network anchor since 2004, mentioned his humble beginnings growing up in New Jersey and said his “number one screw up in life” was dropping out of college, which he did after “running out of money.” Williams, a former TV chyron operator and White House intern, is proud to be putting both of his children through college. He said his parents, who met at Bates College, always wanted him to attend Tufts.

Williams, who won a prestigious Peabody award for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina, said he writes his news show everyday and he is proud his passport bears stamps from Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. A word of advice for aspiring journalists? “If you can write, you’re in.”

Williams is pictured above being interviewed by Tufts alumnus Jonathan Tisch, co-chair of the board of Loews Corporation and chairman of Loews Hotels.

Previous featured speakers at the Murrow Forum include Katie Couric, Ted Koppel, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather and Chris Matthews.

– InsideMedford.com