Daniel Schorr, a senior news analyst for National Public Radio,
will deliver the second annual Daniel Pearl Memorial lecture today
on campus.
Schorr will address contemporary international affairs,
including the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism, that pertain to
the event’s theme “America and the World: A
Conversation with Daniel Schorr.”
Schorr said he will discuss similarities between contemporary
journalists, including Daniel Pearl and journalists from the
earlier Cold War generation, such as himself.
The event, co-organized by the UCLA Hillel Center and the Daniel
Pearl Foundation, will take place in memory of Daniel Pearl, a Wall
Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped and killed in Karachi,
Pakistan, in early 2002.
“Daniel Pearl has become … a symbol of what heroes mean
in journalism,” Schorr said.
“I am moved by the fact that the Foundation and Judea
Pearl and the Hillel Center … have made this something for the
journalistic community. One of ours is lost in this way. It is
wonderful to have journalists memorialize it,” he added.
Pearl addressed contemporary international issues through his
journalistic work, and journalists who deliver the annual memorial
lectures have a similar international outlook, according to the
UCLA Hillel center.
Daniel Schorr was a natural choice to deliver the memorial
lecture, said Judea Pearl, the president of the Daniel Pearl
Foundation, a UCLA computer science professor and Daniel’s
father.
Many people admire Schorr’s ability to describe complex
international situations in an understandable manner and with
objectivity, Judea said.
“Like Danny, he peels the obvious and gives us new insight
to the people and the nations behind the news,” he added.
The Daniel Pearl Foundation’s mission is to continue
Pearl’s commitment to intercultural understanding and
dialogue. The foundation employs journalism as a tool to further
its mission.
This lecture series aims to increase the public’s
understanding of cross-cultural issues, said Marianne Scott, the
director of the foundation.
“Talking with journalists that work on international
issues helps us all understand better,” she said.
John Carroll, the editor of the Los Angeles Times will introduce
Daniel Schorr.
“The sacrifice that (the Pearl family) have seen their son
make as a journalist is just something that has to be
recognized,” Carroll said.
The lecture will take place at the Yitzhak Rabin Center at
7:30 p.m. and is open to the public.