Webster University will host award-winning British journalist Jack Shenker at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3, in Moore Auditorium, 470 E. Lockwood. The free lecture is open to the public.
A correspondent for the United Kingdom’s Guardian newspaper as well as a wide range of other magazines and newspapers, Shenker made headlines around the globe earlier this year with his reports on the Egyptian revolution. His coverage won him the Amnesty International Gaby Rado prize for Excellence in Human Rights Journalism.
In addition to his work in Egypt, Shenker also has reported from the Indian subcontinent, central Asia, Sudan, and Gaza—where he covered the 2008-09 Israeli war.
In January 2011, Shenker was attacked on the streets of Cairo by government security forces. Along with demonstrators, he was beaten and driven to the desert in the back of a police truck. Shenker secretly recorded his experience on a dictaphone, and the audio that was eventually circulated around the world revealed the brutality of government forces and the desperation of demonstrators trying to crack a three-decade-old dictatorship. Over the next three weeks, Shenker’s reports on Egypt were awaited eagerly by the rest of the world. His coverage was named one of the Guardian’s 190 “most defining moments” as part of the newspaper’s 190th birthday celebration and is credited for building the Guardian’s online readership and helping it become one of the largest media organizations in the world.
Shenker now lives between London and Cairo as he continues to cover Egypt’s ongoing revolution. He also is working on other journalistic projects. Among them is an investigation of the experiences of migrants, which heightened awareness of the plight of those seeking political asylum and a better life in Europe.
Shenker’s talk is being co-sponsored by Webster University’s Year of International Human Rights (YIHR) 2011-12: Refugee & Migrant Rights, the Multicultural Center/International Student Affairs, and the School of Communications. The public is invited to take part in the upcoming activity year’s YIHR events, which will focus on issues related to refugee and migrant rights. Keep informed by visiting the YIHR pages of the Institute for Human Rights & Humanitarian Studies, webster.edu/human rights.
For more information about the Shenker talk, call 314-968-6997