NPR SELECTS KPLU TO HOST 2008-2009 KROC FELLOW
Yale graduate and founder of national oral history project joins KPLU March 2
(Seattle-Tacoma, WA) KPLU is proud to welcome a new contributor to its award-winning news team in the form of Kroc Fellow, Brian Reed – which marks the second time the station has been chosen to host one of three “outstanding scholars” who are part of a new generation of extraordinary journalists in the public radio system.
The NPR Kroc Fellowship – named for the late philanthropist, Joan B. Kroc, a longtime supporter of public radio, who honored NPR with a bequest of over $200 million – was established to identify and develop a new generation of extraordinary journalists for the public radio system. In 2005, KPLU was among the three NPR stations chosen to host the first group of NPR Kroc Fellows, based on each station’s reputation within the public radio system for its strong local news.
As a 2008-2009 Kroc Fellow working in the KPLU newsroom, Reed will do daily reporting for the station’s Northwest newscasts, produce in-depth interviews, and work on multi-media projects for KPLU’s website. Reed’s duties at KPLU conclude May 29.
Reed has a dual major in history and theater from Yale University. He’s worked as an online editor for Creative Loafing Media, an alternative weekly newspaper company in Tampa, Florida and Washington, D.C., and as a fish hauler in Homer, Alaska, where he spent the summer “wading in fish guts.” In addition, Reed has worked on several oral history projects. He founded American Backyard which took him across the country gathering stories from ordinary Americans about what made them happy. Prior to coming to KPLU, Reed will spend time with NPR reporter David Greene for the network’s “100 Days: On the Road in Troubled Times” project.
"It's great to have a second Kroc fellow in our newsroom,” says KPLU News Director Erin Hennessey. “The first experience was very positive and we all learned a lot from each other. And it's always fun to experience the Pacific Northwest through a fresh pair of eyes and ears!"
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