Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist and Television Personality Jonathan Capehart ’89 to Present Carleton College’s Opening Convocation Address

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and television personality Jonathan Capehart, Class of 1989, will be the featured speaker at Carleton College’s annual all-college assembly celebrating the beginning of the 2013-14 academic year. Opening Convocation will be held Monday, September 16 at 3 p.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel, and will be preceded by the College’s traditional Academic Procession, including all current and emeriti faculty. This event is free and open to the public. Convocations are also streamed live and can be viewed online at go.carleton.edu/convo/.

Capehart is a member of the Washington Post editorial board and writes about politics and social issues for the PostPartisan blog. He is an MSNBC contributor and has served as a substitute anchor on “The Cycle,“ “Martin Bashir” and “Way Too Early.” He has also been a member of the Reporters Roundtable on ABC News’ “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” and substitute host on WNYC’ radio’s “The Leonard Lopate Show.”

Capehart was deputy editorial page editor of the New York Daily News from 2002 to 2004, and served on that paper’s editorial board from 1993 to 2000. Capehart was a key contributor to a New York Daily News editorial team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1999 for Best Editorial Writing; the award was for a series of editorials promoting the restoration of Harlem’s Apollo Theater.

 Capehart left the Daily News in July 2000 to become the national affairs columnist at Bloomberg News, and took a leave from this position in February 2001 to serve as a policy adviser and speech writer for Michael Bloomberg in his first successful campaign for New York City mayor. In 2004, Capehart joined the global public relations company Hill & Knowlton as a senior vice president and senior counselor of public affairs. He joined the staff of the Washington Post in 2007.

In addition to his Pulitzer Prize, he was a 2011 Esteem Honoree, a distinction given to individuals in recognition of efforts in supporting the African American and LGBT communities in the areas of entertainment, media, civil rights, business and art.

Capehart earned a BA in political science from Carleton College in 1989.

For more information about this event, including disability accommodations, contact the Carleton College Office of College Relations at (507) 222-4308. The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located on First Street between College and Winona Streets in Northfield.