Journalists Kristof, WuDunn Share Insights at Spring Circle Talk

On April 22, the Groton community attended a virtual Circle Talk featuring Pulitzer Prize–winning journalists and spouses Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

 

Student moderators Derek Hu '21, Naomi Boateng '22, and Trey Whitehead '21 introduced the speakers and managed the question-and-answer format, asking student-generated questions on topics ranging from police violence and inequality to women’s rights in Senegal and U.S.–China relations.

First, Naomi relayed a question from a Second Former asking if, in Ms. WuDunn’s opinion, the state of women’s rights had improved since she and Mr. Kristof published Half the Sky in 2009. Ms. WuDunn said that women’s rights were moving in generally the right direction, citing how her grandmother was a victim of the now obsolete practice of foot-binding in China. She also noted more recent declines in maternal mortality rates and ongoing efforts to curb the practice of female genital mutilation.

 

Another student, referencing the speakers' 2020 book Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope, asked whether inequality in the rural United States contributes to the current political polarization. Mr. Kristof replied that while growing up in the small town of Yamhill, Oregon, rural America “seemed to epitomize opportunity and upward mobility.” Over time, however, good working-class jobs there disappeared, and, tragically, a quarter of his childhood classmates went on to die of causes related to drugs, alcohol, or suicide. Desperate people, he said, are more likely to listen to anyone who promises to bring back factory jobs, making them vulnerable to political polarization. But the problems extend beyond factory closures to neglected educational and health care programs and inadequate job training and addiction treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic has only magnified the inequities, he added, as six million children without Internet access were left behind when classes went online.

The journalists’ deep experience in China resulted in several questions about U.S.–China relations. Asked how the Chinese Communist Party has changed since the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, Ms. WuDunn and Mr. Kristof said that the increased repressiveness of the Communist Party, combined with lower levels of hunger and poverty in China, make pro-democracy protests less likely going forward. In a colorful detail, Mr. Kristof, who covered Tiananmen Square, recalled the heroism of rickshaw drivers who transported the injured and dead to hospitals amid the violence.

 

Mr. Kristof blamed a confrontational Communist Party for increased U.S.–China tension and warned that a minor military confrontation could some day escalate toward war. Ms. WuDunn argued that the anti-Chinese rhetoric of Trump, as well as his ill-advised trade war with China, were the key factors in the deteriorating US-China relationship. The U.S., Mr. Kristof added, will need to address inequality and public education to improve its economic and scientific standing compared to China.

 

On a timely domestic topic, a student asked about lasting impact from the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. Ms. WuDunn said that a change in police culture is possible with funding for improved training and oversight at higher levels of government. Mr. Kristof noted progress on police accountability due to the proliferation of cell phone cameras and body cameras, but grimly concluded that injustice in policing will continue as long as racial inequality in America persists. “What troubles me is that I don't see progress on some of the engines of greater equality in the country—in particular, education,” he said. “We obviously need fairer policing, just as a matter of justice. But if we're going to achieve a more fair society, then we have to have an education system that builds more economic and social equality." Partly to blame, he said, is the localized nature of school funding, which results in well-funded schools in affluent communities and poor school funding in many communities of color.

In closing remarks about the challenges facing a free press, the journalists reiterated the repressiveness of the Chinese Communist Party and discussed Hong Kong journalists who have been imprisoned. Obstacles to a free press in the U.S., they said, include the spread of false information, Trump's characterization of the press as “the enemy of the people,” and the collapse of the traditional newspaper business model and closure of many small newspapers, making it difficult to hold leaders accountable.

Students found the Circle Talk engaging despite the online presentation. “It was very exciting and inspiring to be able to interact with such learned and experienced journalists,” said Naomi. “The fact that it was Q&A-based made it more palatable and less like a lecture. Many students watched actively and spoke to me after about it.”—Christopher Temerson