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KOMU News Director Meets with President Bush
Washington, D.C. (June 3, 2005) -- Stacey Woelfel and other members of the board of directors of the Radio-Television News Directors Association met with President Bush on Wednesday. During the hour-long discussion, the president demonstrated his support for free speech, acknowledged the importance of local media in shaping public debates, but stopped short of endorsing a federal shield bill for journalists.
RTNDA board members stand with President George W. Bush on Wednesday, June 1, 2005, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Stacey Woelfel is the last person on the right in the first row. White House photo by Paul Morse.
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Woelfel has been part of the faculty in the KOMU newsroom since 1986 and has been news director for more than a dozen years. Under his leadership, the newsroom has moved into the 21st Century of digital television news-gathering, picking up numerous awards along the way, including a national Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence and a Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism. KOMU is the only University-owned NBC affiliate in the United States that uses its newsroom as a working lab for broadcast students.
"It was exciting for me to get to attend this meeting between the president and the organization that represents electronic journalists across the country. The president was candid about the differing roles of journalists and political leaders. His comments, as well as the questions put to him by the board, give me a better understanding of the complex president-press relationship. That understanding is something I can share with my students in class and in the newsroom," said Woelfel.
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