Woodruff, Trahant, Ibarguen named new trustees

12.08.00

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NEW YORK — Judy Woodruff, a veteran broadcast journalist and CNN's prime anchor and senior correspondent, and Mark N. Trahant, columnist for The Seattle Times, were elected Dec. 8 as trustees of The Freedom Forum. Alberto Ibargüen, publisher of The Miami Herald and chairman of The Miami Herald Publishing Co., was elected as a trustee of The Freedom Forum's affiliate, the Newseum.

Charles Overby, chairman and chief executive officer of The Freedom Forum, announced the appointments, saying, "Judy Woodruff, Mark Trahant and Alberto Ibargüen exemplify the very best in journalism. Judy's intelligence and reliable news judgment have made her a welcome guest in homes around the world during her more than 20 years in broadcast journalism. She has been one of the true pioneer women on television.

"Mark Trahant, a respected journalist and former president of the Native American Journalists Association, has been one of the leading voices for improving diversity in our nation's newspaper newsrooms. This is one of The Freedom Forum's top priorities. Mark not only brings a wealth of experience, but also a unique perspective and sense of history that have been shaped by his life in the American West.

"Alberto Ibargüen's leadership in publishing newspapers that truly reflect the concerns and cultures of the international community they serve make him someone to watch as we enter the 21st century. The Newseum, which is embarking on a significant expansion that includes bringing a more international perspective to its programs, will benefit enormously from Alberto's perspective."

Woodruff, who joined CNN in 1993, co-anchors "Inside Politics," the nation's only daily program devoted exclusively to politics, with Bernard Shaw, and "World View", an hour-long international newscast that examines the major stories and issues around the world, with Shaw.

In addition to her daily duties, Woodruff co-anchors CNN's special coverage of such events as political conventions and summits. In September 1995, she traveled to Beijing to cover the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women.

Woodruff has been covering politics and presidential campaigns from Carter to Clinton. She moderated the 1988 vice-presidential debate and has reported on every national political convention and presidential campaign since 1976.

In the 10 years prior to joining CNN, Woodruff was the chief Washington correspondent for "The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour." She was chief Washington correspondent for NBC's "Today" from 1982 to 1983. Woodruff began her career in Atlanta where she was a correspondent and reporter first for the CBS affiliate and then for the NBC affiliate station. Woodruff is an author and the winner of numerous awards for broadcasting and journalism.

Mark Trahant writes Thursday and Sunday columns for The Seattle Times exploring the geography, culture and richness of the American West. Trahant's coverage stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, from the Alaskan tundra to the desert.

Trahant is an Idaho native, and his Western roots and journalistic experience are deeply connected. He joined the Times from the Moscow-Pullman Daily News in Moscow, Idaho, and Pullman, Wash., where he was the publisher. He also wrote a syndicated weekly column, "Letter From Moscow." His journalism career includes work as executive news editor of The Salt Lake Tribune, reporter at The Arizona Republic in Phoenix, as well as editor and publisher at several tribal newspapers. Trahant is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock tribe of Idaho.

Trahant has won numerous journalism awards and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. In 1995 Trahant was a visiting professional scholar at The Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University. He is the author of "Pictures of Our Nobler Selves," a history of American Indian contributions to journalism published by The Freedom Forum. He is also chairman of board of directors for the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education based in Oakland, Calif., an organization that advocates for more diversity in journalism. The Maynard Institute has trained hundreds of journalists as editors and reporters.

Alberto Ibargüen joined The Miami Herald Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Knight-Ridder, Inc., in December 1995 as publisher of El Nuevo Herald and vice president for international operations of The Miami Herald. Before moving to Miami, he was executive vice president for operations of Newsday and New York Newsday, having joined the Times Mirror Company in 1984 as senior vice president for finance and administration of The Hartford Courant.

Earlier, Mr. Ibargüen practiced law in Hartford, Conn., where he was director of the Connecticut Elections Commission and subsequently deputy general counsel of Connecticut National Bank. As an attorney with the Legal Aid Society, he founded the Puerto Rican Center for Justice.

Mr. Ibargüen, of Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage, was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in the New York metropolitan area. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Between college and law school, he served in the Amazon Territory in Venezuela as a Peace Corps volunteer, and was subsequently program director for the Peace Corps in Colombia.