Gwen Ifill

Infobox journalist
name = Gwen Ifill


imagesize = 180px
birth_date = birth date and age|mf=yes|1955|09|29
birth_place = New York City, New York, USA
education = Simmons College
occupation = Journalist
credits = "The New York Times"
"News Hour with Jim Lehrer"
"The Washington Post"
"Washington Week"

Gwen Ifill IPA2|ˈaɪfəl (born September 29, 1955) is an American journalist, television newscaster and author. She is the managing editor and moderator for "Washington Week" (PBS) and a senior correspondent for "The NewsHour" (PBS). She is a political pundit, appearing on various programs and moderating the 2004 and 2008 Vice Presidential debates. She is the author of the forthcoming book "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama".

Biography

Early years

Ifill was born in New York City, the fifth child of African Methodist Episcopal minister, Urcille Ifill, Sr., a Panamanian of Barbadian descent who emigrated from Panama, and Eleanor Ifill, who was also from Barbados.cite web | author= | title=Gwen Ifill Biography | url=http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=212144 | work=Biography | date=2008 | accessdate=2008-09-18] cite web | author=Carol Brennan | title=Black Biography: Gwen Ifill | url=http://www.answers.com/topic/gwen-ifill | work=Contemporary Black Biography | publisher=The Gale Group | date=2008 | accessdate=2008-09-18] [cite web | author=Gwen Ifill | title=RTNDF First Amendment Awards Dinner | url=http://www.rtnda.org/pages/media_items/gwen-ifill1075.php | publisher=Radio and Television News Directors Foundation | date=9 March 2006 | accessdate=2008-10-04] Her father's ministry required the family to live in several cities throughout New England and the Eastern Seaboard during her youth. In her childhood Ifill lived in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts church parsonages and federally-subsidized housing in Buffalo and New York City.cite news | author=Claire Suddath | title=Debate Moderator Gwen Ifill | url=http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1846354,00.html | work=Time | date=2 October 2008 | accessdate=2008-10-03] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts in 1977.cite web| title=Gwen Ifill | url=http://www.nndb.com/people/065/000044930/ | work=The Notable Names Database | date=2008 | accessdate=2008-09-06 ]

Career

Ifill first interned for the "Boston Herald" where she was later hired as an apology by editors after a co-worker left a note for her that said "Nigger go home." Later she worked for the "Baltimore Evening Sun" (1981-1984), "The Washington Post" (1984-1991), "The New York Times" (1991-1994), and NBC.cite web|accessdate=2008-09-06 | url=http://www.nndb.com/people/065/000044930/ | title=Gwen Ifill | publisher=nndb.com | date=2008] In October 1999, she became moderator of the PBS program "Washington Week in Review". She is also senior correspondent for the "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer". Ifill has appeared on various news shows, including "Meet the Press".cite news | author= Russert, Tim and David Broder, John Dickerson, Gwen Ifill, Andrea Mitchell, Richard Wolffe | title=Political Roundtable | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24338217/page/7/ | work=Meet the Press | publisher=NBC | date=April 27, 2008 | accessdate=2008-04-27 ]

She serves on the board of the Harvard Institute of Politics, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Museum of Television and Radio and the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism.

With Kaitlyn Adkins, Ifill co-hosted "Jamestown LIVE!", a 2007 History Channel special commemorating the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, Virginia.

The Ombsudsman for PBS, Michael Getler, has twice written about the letters he's received complaining of bias in Ifill's news coverage. [PBS Ombudsman http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/] [http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/2008/09/ombudsmans_mailbag_27.html] The letters complained about Ifill's derogatory tone and words in describing the Republican National Convention. [The PBS Ombudsman column http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/2008/09/ombudsmans_mailbag_27.html] Ifill was also criticized by some viewers for questioning whether Sarah Palin can be a mother to five kids and an effective vice-president. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpXKBZVuK9I] [PBS News Hour Transcript Sept. 2, 2008 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec08/gopwomen_09-02.html] [Gateway Pundit article and video of Ifill discussing motherhood issue for VP candidate http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/10/gwen-ifill-questioned-whether-palin.html]

First book

Ifill's first book, "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama", is scheduled to be released January 20, 2009, Inauguration Day. [cite news | author=Michael Calderone | title=Ifill's Book Was No Secret | url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081001/pl_politico/22742 | work=Politico | date=1 October 2008 | accessdate=2008-10-04] [cite news | author=Evan Mantyk | title=VP Debate Moderator Writing Pro-Obama Book | url=http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/united-states/obama-ifill-debate-5095.html | work=Epoch Times | date=1 October 2008 | accessdate=2008-10-04] The book is expected to deal with several African American politicians, including Barack Obama as well as other up and coming black politicians such as Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick and Newark, New Jersey mayor Cory Booker. The publisher, Random House, says of the book "Drawing on interviews with power brokers like Senator Obama, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vernon Jordan, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and many others, as well as her own razor-sharp observations and analysis of such issues as generational conflict and the 'black enough' conundrum, Ifill shows why this is a pivotal moment in American history."

Vice-presidential debates

On October 5, 2004, Ifill moderated the vice-presidential debate between Republican candidate Dick Cheney and Democratic candidate Senator John Edwards. During the debate, Cheney said that he would need more than the allotted 30 seconds to react to a statement by Edwards, Ifill replied: "Well, that's all you've got." While Ifill said it was not her intentFact|date=October 2008, Howard Kurtz described Democratic partisans as delighted with her because she was seen as being "snippy" to Cheney. [cite news | author=Howard Kurtz| title=In a Historic Year, Ifill Has One Thing to Do: Her Job | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/03/AR2008090303319.html?hpid=artslot | work=The Washington Post | pages=A24 | date=4 September 2008| accessdate=2008-10-05]

Ifill also moderated the October 2, 2008 vice-presidential debate between Democratic Senator Joe Biden and Republican Governor Sarah Palin at Washington University in St. Louis. [cite news | url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/08/who-gets-to-ask.html | title=Who Gets to Ask the Tough Questions? | author=Santucci, John | work=ABC News | date=2008-08-05 | accessdate=2008-08-05] The debate's format offered Ifill freedom to cover domestic or international issues. [cite news | author=Dabid Bauder | title=Ifill hits jackpot in moderating VP debate | url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iBZRtBDTOeK8QmB-4AwY_BbtecmAD93BHIK00 | work=The Associated Press | date=21 September 2008 | accessdate=2008-10-04]

Prior to the 2008 Vice-Presidential debate, there was controversy over Ifill's neutrality, related to her failure to disclose to the debate commission or her PBS news program audience that she had an upcoming book "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama" to be released on inauguration day. [cite news | author=Jim Rutenberg | title=Moderator’s Planned Book Becomes a Topic of Debate | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/us/politics/02debate.html | work=The New York Times | date=2 October 2008 | accessdate=2008-10-01] The book was reported on in the Washington Times [Citation| title = Today on the Presidential Campaign Trail| newspaper = Washington Times| year = 2008|date=July 25] and appeared in trade catalogs as early as July 2008, well before Ifill was selected by the debate committee; however, the commission and the campaigns were not aware of the book until the day before the debate. Several reporters and analysts raised concern about the conflict of interest and perceived bias considering the book's subject matter and that the sales of her book could benefit greatly from an Obama-Biden win.cite news | author=Kinney Littlefield | title=Smiley Faces Blog Anger: Obama Remarks Targeted | url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/23/smiley-faces-blog-anger/ | work=The Washington Times | date=23 July 2008 | accessdate=2008-10-01] [cite paper | author= | title=Doubleday Spring 2009 format=.PDF | publisher=Doubleday Books | url=http://doubleday.com/calalogs/ | date=2008 | accessdate=2008-10-01] [cite news | author=Jim Rutenberg | title=Moderator’s Planned Book Becomes a Topic of Debate | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/us/politics/02debate.html | work=The New York Times | date=2 October 2008 | accessdate=2008-10-01] Kelly McBride, head of the ethics department at Poynter Institute, a journalism training center in Florida, said, “Obviously the book will be much more valuable to her if Obama is elected.” [cite paper | author= | title=Doubleday Spring 2009 format=.PDF | publisher=Doubleday Books | url=http://doubleday.com/calalogs/ | date=2008 | accessdate=2008-10-01] [cite news | author=Jim Rutenberg | title=Moderator’s Planned Book Becomes a Topic of Debate | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/us/politics/02debate.html | work=The New York Times | date=2 October 2008 | accessdate=2008-10-01] Ifill responded to criticism by stating, "I've got a pretty long track record covering politics and news, so I'm not particularly worried that one-day blog chatter is going to destroy my reputation. The proof is in the pudding. They can watch the debate tomorrow night and make their own decisions about whether or not I've done my job." [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/01/america/Debate-Ifill.php Questions raised about moderator's impartiality] , The Associated Press, October 1, 2008] After the debate, Ifill was generally praised for her performance with the "Boston Globe" reporting that she "is receiving high marks for equal treatment of the candidates."cite news | url=http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-onthemedia3-2008oct03,0,4286442.story | title=Gwen Ifill was a true journalist: fair | work=The Los Angeles Times | date=2008 | accessdate=2008-10-03 | author=James Rainey] cite news | url=http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/10/ifill_proves_th.html | title=Ifill proves the critics wrong | work=The Boston Globe | date=2008 | accessdate=2008-10-03 | author= Foon Rhee]

Bibliography

*cite book | last=Ifill | first=Gwen | title=The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama | edition=First edition | location=New York | publisher=Doubleday | year=2009 | isbn=9780385525015

References

External links

*
* [http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/gwen/ Gwen Ifill] at "Washington Week"
* [http://www.pbs.org/newshour/aboutus/bio_ifill.html Gwen Ifill] at "News Hour with Jim Lehrer"
* [http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2004b.html 2004 Vice Presidential Debate Transcript]
* [http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/debates/vice-presidential-debate.html 2008 Vice Presidential Debate Transcript and video]

Persondata
NAME= Ifill, Gwen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= American journalist, television newscaster and author
DATE OF BIRTH= September 29, 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH= New York City, New York, USA
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=