Brian Williams, left, anchor of NBC Nightly News, talks about his career with trustee Jonathan Tisch at the Edward R. Murrow Forum at Tufts University's Distler Performance Hall on April 23, 2012. – Photo by Kelvin Ma/Tufts University

By Francisco L. White

The Distler Performance Hall at Tufts University’s Medford/Somerville campus filled quickly around noon on April 23, for the 7th Annual Edward R. Murrow Forum on issues in Journalism. The event was free and open to the public. According to the press release, the forum “is inspired by legendary broadcaster Edward R. Murrow for his many contributions to journalism and public diplomacy” and “brings together interdisciplinary panels to reflect on Murrow’s legacy and relate it to contemporary issues in journalism.” The forum is sponsored by Tufts’ Communications and Media Studies Program at the School of Arts and Sciences, the Edward R. Murrow Center of Public Diplomacy at The Fletcher School, and the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service.

This year’s highly anticipated featured speaker was the charismatic Brian Williams. Williams, anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News and the visionary behind the launch of the network’s latest primetime news endeavor Rock Center with Brian Williams, is one of the most acclaimed media figures of our time. He is the recipient of 12 Emmy Awards, 11 Edward R. Murrow Awards, the Walter Cronkite Award for Journalism, and the George Foster Peabody Award, among others. TIME named Williams one of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2007. Having only obtained a total of 18 college credits, from three colleges, Williams admitted, “Tufts is where my mother always wanted me to go.” He explained that his father is originally from nearby Framingham and his parents met while attending school in Maine.

The topic of this year’s forum was politics and election coverage. Williams spoke specifically about presidential debate moderation, saying, “It’s a high-wire act.” He also addressed contempt for members of the media during significant political periods saying, “We have a vital job to do in a democracy. And it’s not going to win you any popularity contests.” When asked by an audience member how he chooses between “an attractive story and one that needs to be told,” Williams responded, “Most days, the world around us compels our interest. There is no shortage of stories to cover.”

The discussion was led by Jonathan Tisch, a graduate of Tufts and host of Emmy-nominated Beyond the Boardroom with Jonathan Tisch. Tisch, who is also the author of three bestsellers, Co-Chairman of the Board of Loews Corporation (the parent company of Loews Hotels), and co-owner of the New York Giants, interviewed Katie Couric for the 6th Annual Murrow Forum.