Longtime anchor of ABC News' Nightline, Ted Koppel, will give Luther College's 2018 Roslien Distinguished Lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, in Luther's Center for Faith and Life Main Hall.
The lecture, "Science and Policy: Communication in the Twenty-First-Century World of Fake News," is open to the public with no charge for admission. A question and answer session will follow the lecture.
Koppel's lecture discusses the issue of science information, public policy and "fake news" as a communication black hole that must be addressed with priority for the world to have a chance of making critical decisions about issues that will greatly affect the future of the youth of today. His experience and credibility informing the public about many issues of critical importance over the course of his broadcast career makes him a natural for this discussion.
In addition to the lecture, Koppel will engage with students, hold a press session and have signed books available for public purchase.
Koppel became the longest-serving news anchor in U.S. broadcast history over the course of his 26 years as anchor and managing editor of Nightline. After 42 years with ABC News, Koppel was the most honored reporter in the network's history with eight Peabody Awards and 42 Emmy Awards—including one for lifetime achievement. Koppel has been awarded 12 Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Awards—the Pulitzer Prize of television. He has also garnered 11 Overseas Press Club Awards, which is one more than the previous record holder and Koppel's mentor, Edward R. Murrow.
In addition to his air time with ABC, Koppel has served as a contributing columnist for the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, and senior contributor to the CBS Sunday Morning Show. Since 2005 he has served as managing editor of the Discovery Channel, as a news analyst for BBC America, as a special correspondent for Rock Center, and continues to function as commentator and nonfiction book critic for National Public Radio.
His most recent book, "Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath," was released in 2016 and quickly became a New York Times' best-seller. He is also the author of "Off Camera," another NYT best-seller. He co-authored "Nightline: History in the Making and the Making of Television," with Kyle Gibson, and his first book "Estonian Army Uniforms and Insignia 1936-1944," with Fred Limberg.
Koppel, the son of German-Jewish refugees, came to the United States when he was 13, and became an American citizen 10 years later. He holds degrees from Syracuse University and Stanford University.
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