UMGC Global Media Center
The Kalb Report: November 22, 1963

On November 22, 1963, time stood still as the nation and the world grappled with the sudden and tragic loss of an extraordinary leader. Now, 50 years since that historic day, we remember the life and legacy of President John F. Kennedy.

Dan Rather was on the scene in Dallas that day, reporting for Walter Cronkite and CBS News, and helped break the story we could not bear to hear. On the next Kalb Report, two legends of journalism, Dan Rather and Marvin Kalb, will discuss reporting the unthinkable and the profound impact of the events of that fateful day.

The forum will take place on the 50th anniversary of the death of President Kennedy on Friday, November 22, 2013, at 8 p.m. in the main ballroom of the National Press Club (529 14 St., NW, Washington, D.C.).

"A few months ago, we went back 50 years to commemorate the historic March on Washington. Now, we are going back 50 years once again, this time to recall the assassination of President Kennedy, which transformed America in the 20th century. Dan Rather, who was in Dallas and covered the event for CBS, will join us to discuss the shocking killing of a president and what impact it has had on our country. History recalled and recaptured to inform and inspire our students," said Kalb.

Dan Rather is the anchor and managing editor of the award winning documentary series "Dan Rather Reports" on HDNet. Prior to his current position, Mr. Rather served as anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News" from 1981 to 2005, the longest such tenure in broadcast history. Among the landmarks of his 44-year career at CBS were his reporting of the death of President Kennedy and his critically acclaimed live coverage of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Mr. Rather spent 53 hours and 35 minutes on the air over less than four days beginning the morning of the attacks. Mr. Rather has received virtually every honor in broadcast journalism, including numerous Emmy and Peabody Awards and citations from critical, scholarly, professional, and charitable organizations.

The Kalb Report series is produced jointly by The National Press Club Journalism Institute, The George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs, Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center, University of Maryland University College, and the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

For the 11th consecutive year, the series is underwritten by a grant from Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.

Since 1994, the partnership has produced 81 forums with guests, including Walter Cronkite, Rupert Murdoch, Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Bill O'Reilly, Bob Costas, Hillary Clinton, Ken Burns, Roger Ailes, and Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel.

In 2012, The Kalb Report was honored with both a Gold World Medal and the overall Grand Award in the New York Festivals International Radio Awards competition.

The Kalb Report series is distributed nationally by American Public Television. Oklahoma Educational Television Authority serves as the presenting station. The Kalb Report also airs on the public radio channels of Sirius-XM Satellite Radio, Federal News Radio in Washington, D.C. (1500 AM), District of Columbia Cable Television, University of Maryland Cable Television, and NewsChannel 8 in Washington, D.C. Each program is also streamed live on kalb.gwu.edu.

Moderator Marvin Kalb is Edward R. Murrow Professor Emeritus at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Over the course of his distinguished 30-year career in broadcast journalism, Mr. Kalb served as chief diplomatic correspondent for both CBS News and NBC News, and moderator of Meet the Press. He went on to serve as the founding director of Harvard's Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy. Among his many honors are two Peabody Awards, the DuPont Prize from Columbia University, the 2006 Fourth Estate Award from the National Press Club, and more than a half-dozen Overseas Press Club awards. Mr. Kalb has authored or co-authored 13 nonfiction books and two best-selling novels. His latest book is "The Road to War: Presidential Commitments Honored and Betrayed."

Executive Producer Michael Freedman is a senior vice president and professor of the practice at University of Maryland University College, as well as a professorial lecturer in journalism at the George Washington University. Mr. Freedman is the former general manager of CBS Radio Network News and former managing editor for the broadcast division of United Press International. He is the recipient of more than 85 honors for journalistic excellence, including 14 Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Senior Producer Heather Date is an associate vice president at University of Maryland University College, a GW alumna, and a former CNN producer. She is the recipient of the Alliance for Women in Media's 2011 Gracie Award for Outstanding Producer of a News Program for her work on The Kalb Report.

Lindsay Underwood, a 2011 graduate of George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs, is the associate producer of The Kalb Report.

Web Editor Bryan Kane is a senior at George Washington University.

The Kalb Report series is directed by Robert Vitarelli, a 39-year CBS News veteran and a Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award winner.