Blitzer, Dobbs, & The Masked Journalist

John Hopkins University graduate and CNN's anchor of The Situation Room, Wolf Blitzer, was interviewed by James Freedman for the JHU Newsletter. Below are excerpts from the article:

When CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer found out he had passed his final exams and would be graduating from the School of Advanced International Studies, he was elated.

"I literally jumped up in the air and clicked my heels together and did a big scream, as if I were a cheerleader or something, and it sounds so stupid, but I was so happy I literally jumped for joy," he said. "The moment I found out that I was going to graduate and get the degree -- it's not the kind of moment that you forget."

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In a time when the impartiality of reporting is often called into question, and partisan motives guide news coverage, Blitzer is a defender of what he calls "classical" journalism.

"I'm a classical, old-fashioned kind of journalist," he said. "[I try] not to inject too much of my own personal opinions and attitudes, but what I try to do is make sure I give all sides a good chance to present their respective cases. But if I see someone is saying something that's not true or distorted or not answering the question -- it's my job, because I see myself as really the representative of the viewers out there, the people who are watching my shows -- to speak up and say, `Excuse me, you didn't answer the question.'"

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Blitzer feels "blessed" to have a job that lets him learn all day, speak to interesting people and report on what's going on in the world, and credits Hopkins for making it happen.

"I get paid on a daily basis now to learn and to see and to report on what's going on," said Blitzer. "I'm really blessed that I can take that SAIS and Johns Hopkins experience that I had and parlay it into a daily profession c9 It really was one of those life-changing events for me -- the two years that I spent getting my Master's degree -- because it opened up my eyes, it opened up my curiosity, it opened me up to new opportunities that I never knew existed earlier."

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Lou Dobb's will be speaking at Roger Williams University later this month. Below is an excerpt from the RWU announcement:

No stranger to controversy, [Lou Dobbs]— financial news legend and anchor for CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight”—will visit Roger Williams University as part of its Civil Discourse lecture series on Thursday, Sept. 27, to share his insights on the most topical issues affecting our country today.

“Civil Discourse is designed to bring to campus as many points of view as possible,” said University President Roy J. Nirschel. “Recent speakers run the gamut from Salman Rushdie to Gary Bauer, David Gergen to Bob Geldof—whether they agree with him or not, Lou Dobbs will certainly energize our students.”

Mr. Dobbs will speak at 5:30 p.m. in the University’s Recreation Center Gymnasium on the Bristol Campus at One Old Ferry Road. The event is free and open to the public as space allows. Members of the media are encouraged to attend as well.

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Mystery Journalist

Which CNN journalist was caught hiding behind a mask?

Can you name this CNN journalist?

The Mystery Journalist will be unmasked in Sunday night's post.