The Distinguished Communicators Series - NBC's John Palmer

In April, John Palmer -- a top anchor and Washington-based correspondent for NBC News for nearly three decades -- engaged a packed house in Physicians Auditorium on war, politics, and the influence of media. The winner of several major broadcasting awards, Palmer was invited as the College’s inaugural speaker in a forthcoming series of “Distinguished Communicators.” The Department of Communication is sponsoring the ongoing lecture series. Palmer supported the concept of “embedded journalism”, and noted that war coverage in Iraq transcends any previous effort because of reporter access and groundbreaking technology. He also spun anecdotes about his coverage of four presidents as Chief White House Correspondent for NBC News. Most of Palmer’s career has been with NBC News, where he has spent 26 years. He was news anchor for “Today” from 1982-1989, and in 1988, he wrote and anchored the award-winning NBC News documentary, “The Pension Cookie Jar.” Prior to his “Today” stint, Palmer served as NBC’s White House correspondent from 1979 to 1982. In 1980, he broadcast the first report of the attempted rescue of American hostages in Iran. He was honored by fellow White House reporters with the Merriman Smith Memorial Award for excellence in Presidential news coverage, the first broadcast journalist to earn that distinction.

“John Palmer represents the caliber of speaker, and person, that embodies a distinguished communicator,” said Dr. Douglas Ferguson, chairman of the Department of Communication. “His message was thought-provoking and inspirational to students and faculty. We will continue to invite quality lecturers to enlighten our community of learning here at the College.”

Prior to his White House assignment, Palmer was the NBC News correspondent in Paris from 1976-1979. Earlier, he had been stationed in Beirut, where he covered the 1972 Arab-Israeli war, the Arab oil embargo, the war in Cyprus, the civil war in Lebanon, and the civil war in Angola. His war coverage in Lebanon earned him a National Headliners Award. His reporting on the famine in Africa earned him an Overseas Press Club Award, and an Emmy. More recently, he has served as a correspondent for both NBC and the Christian Science Monitor’s World Service over the past decade. He also has anchored “Discovery Journal,” a weekly hour-long documentary series for the Discovery network.