Summary
Watch the farewell video OR read this New York Times piece on Judy Woodruff to learn more about her life as a journalist.
Watch the compilation video Judy Woodruff’s colleagues made about what she meant to them from the start of the video until 5m:09s. To hear thoughts directly from Judy, start the video at 5m:10s and watch until the end (about 3 minutes). Then answer the discussion questions. To read the transcript, click here.
Discussion Questions
Judy Woodruff signed off as NewsHour anchor Friday night with a special message to viewers. While her time as anchor has ended, she will devote 2023 and 2024 to a new national reporting project, “Judy Woodruff Presents: America at a Crossroads.”
- Who is Judy Woodruff?
- What news show did Woodruff anchor for many years?
- When did Woodruff retire?
- Why did Woodruff become a journalist?
- How do Woodruff’s colleagues describe her?
Focus Questions
Read the excerpt by Judy Woodruff. Then answer the question: How do journalists make sure they are reporting the news and not giving commentary (opinion)? Why do you think this value is so important to Woodruff?
Through it all, I have tried to stay true to what the program’s founders, Robin MacNeil and Jim Lehrer, believed so fiercely, that we’re here to report, to tell you as accurately and fairly as we can what’s going on in the world, and to let you make up your minds about what to think, and to have the courage, as my beloved co-anchor, Gwen Ifill, did, to ask the tough questions, to hold people in power accountable, and, I would add, to care enough about each one of you to respect you and your beliefs, what your lives are like.
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
PBS NewsHour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories.
