White House Journalist April Ryan to Speak at Trinity, February 5, 7:00 pm

“Covering the White House Under an Assault on Freedom of Speech”

Journalist April Ryan, the White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief for American Urban Radio Networks, will be the featured speaker at Trinity on Monday, February 5, 7:00 pm, in the Payden Academic Center. After her keynote remarks, “Covering the White House Under an Assault on Freedom of Speech,” she will sign copies of her two books: “The Presidency in Black and White: My Up-Close View of Three Presidents and Race in America” and “At Mama’s Knee: Mothers and Race in Black and White.”

The National Association of Black Journalists named Ryan as the “Journalist of the Year” in 2017, the same year she joined CNN as a political analyst. Ryan is a graduate of Morgan State University and was awarded an honorary doctorate from her alma mater in 2017. She began her media career as a jazz disc jockey before turning to reporting. Ryan has been a member of the White House press corps for American Urban Radio Networks since January 1997. She is a member of the National Press Club and is one of only three African Americans to have served on the board of the White House Correspondent’s Association.

As a White House correspondent, Ryan has covered four presidential administrations. Following the election of President Donald Trump, Ryan gained notoriety in 2017 after notable exchanges with him and his press secretary Sean Spicer. Ryan, whom The A.V. Club dubbed “stalwart and professional” in her approach, said on an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” that the purpose of the press remains unchanged by the Trump administration’s hostile attitude to the mainstream media. Ryan stressed that the journalists must “get accurate information, facts for the American public. It’s not about us, it’s about freedom of the press. It’s about informing the masses.”

Her first book, “The Presidency in Black and White: My Up-Close View of Three Presidents and Race in America,” was published in 2015 and won an NAACP Image Award. Her second book, “At Mama’s Knee: Mothers and Race in Black and White,” was published in 2016. Her work has also appeared in Politico. Her blog, Fabric of America, is devoted to minority issues and stories in the United States.

This special event is supported by a grant from the Carnegie Foundation of New York and is sponsored by Trinity’s School of Professional Studies.

Trinity offers several degree programs in journalism and related fields, including undergraduate degrees in communication, and in journalism and media studies, and a master of arts degree in strategic communication and public relations. Many Trinity graduates have successful careers in journalism and public relations, and work in a variety of top media outlets including Politico, ABC News, The Washington Post, and the New York Post.