Newhouse School of Communications
An Inspirational Journalist
November 1, 2009
by Deaundra Cash
The life and work of journalist Robin Toner ’76, and the changing nature of political reporting, were the focus of a symposium hosted by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Administration on Tuesday, October 27.
The Robin Toner Symposium celebrated her biggest career accomplishment as the first woman to become national political correspondent for The New York Times. In her almost 25 year career at the Times, she reported on nearly every domestic issue and played a significant role in the coverage of five presidential elections.
Noted for her relentless approach, meticulous work and elegant delivery, Toner’s extensive reporting career included working at some of the top newspapers in the country such as the Charleston Daily Mail, where she wrote about a coal miners' strike, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she covered the 1984 Democratic presidential bid of civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Gwen Ifill, managing editor of PBS' Washington Week, and Richard Berke, assistant managing editor of The New York Times, delivered a keynote address in Newhouse's Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium, allowing Toner's former colleagues to comment on her extraordinary career. A tribute video was also shown including special moments with Toner, her family, and a look at her battle with colon cancer.
After the opening remarks, a panel discussion on “Political and Public Policy Reporting: Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Age” included Dan Balz, political correspondent for The Washington Post; Jackie Calmes, economics reporter for The New York Times; Beth Frerking, assistant managing editor for POLITICO; Gwen Ifill, moderator; and Adam Nagourney, chief political correspondent for The New York Times. Charlotte Grimes, Knight Chair in Political Reporting at the Newhouse School, and Robert McClure, the Chapple Family Professor of Citizenship and Democracy in the Maxwell School, served as panel moderators.
The panel discussion focused on the benefits and setbacks that technology has on political coverage. The advances in technology have allowed the media to offer up-to-the minute information, faster than newspaper journalists can report it. The panelists discussed whether or not the 24-hour cycle means the public is better informed. Some media experts focused on the in-depth coverage that the public misses and how the media is working to improve their techniques in reporting.
Robin Toner died in December 2008, leaving an indelible mark on the people and profession she loved. Robert McClure taught Toner while she attended SU and commented at the symposium that he remembered her as one of his brightest students. “Smart as all everything,” he said. “Determined. She walked with swagger. Perhaps headstrong. And boy could she write.” 
Robin Toner Symposium in Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium
October 27, 2009
