James Charles Lehrer

Tufts President John DiBiaggio awarded Jim Lehrer an honorary degree during the
University's 2001 Commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 20, 2001

Medford/Somerville, Mass. [05.20.01] -- James Charles Lehrer, you are a dedicated journalist, a respected professional whose objectivity and intelligence have earned the trust of millions of viewers of the NewsHour.

   In your trademark style of reporting, you present news as it is made, and avoid becoming part of the story yourself. By granting audiences the opportunity to make their own decisions about the events you cover, you elevate news coverage to a serious study and encourage thoughtful, informed discourse among viewers.

   Your professional excellence and unquestionable integrity have been honored through numerous awards, including the National Humanities Medal, the George Foster Peabody Broadcast Award, Emmy awards and others; all are signals of the high regard in which you are held.

   Your selection as moderator of presidential debates in the last four elections underscores national confidence in you personally, and in your commitment to ethical journalism. You work not to achieve ratings or popularity, yet you earn high marks in both from a critical public.

   James Charles Lehrer, in recognition of an outstanding career in journalism spanning more than four decades, it is my pleasure to present to you the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa.