Bill Kovach

Bill Kovach "is the Chairman of the Committee of Concerned Journalists. Kovach has been a journalist and writer for forty years. He began his career at the Johnson City (Tennessee) Press Chronicle (1959 - 1960) and later served as a reporter for the Nashville Tennessean (1960 - 1967) where he covered the civil rights movement, southern politics, and Appalachian poverty. After a year of study on a journalism fellowship at Stanford University he joined the New York Times (1968 - 1986) where he worked as a reporter and later as the chief of the NY Times Washington bureau. He served as editor of the Atlanta Journal Constitution for two years, during which time the newspaper won two Pulitzer Prizes, the first awarded to the Atlanta Journal Constitution in 20 years. He was appointed a Neiman Fellow in the class of 1988-89 and remained as curator." 

"For 11 years,... Kovach led The Nieman Foundation at Harvard University, which strives to elevate journalism standards through publications, seminars, conferences and fellowships." 

"He has delivered a number of journalism lectures including: the Eugene E. Pulliam Lecture at Indiana University in 1986, the Reynolds Lecture at Emory and Henry College in 1990, the Frank Gannett Lecture at the Freedom Forum in 1991, the George Chaplin Distinguished Fellow Lecture at the East-West Journalism Center in Honolulu in 1995 and the Ralph O. Nafziger Lecture at the University of Wisconsin in 1999.

"He served on Pulitzer Prize juries from 1987-1990 and the National Magazine Awards jury in 1994. Among his other responsibilities: Publisher of Nieman Reports Journalism Quarterly; Ombudsman for Brill's Content magazine; Chairman of the Committee of Concerned Journalists; member of the board of Committee to Protect Journalists; the Latin American Studies Center; Africa News and the Encyclopedia of the Appalachians. In addition, Kovach is a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Public Integrity; Chair of the Advisory Board of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists; member of the Board of Incorporators, Harvard Magazine. He also serves in an advisory capacity to the Public Television program P.O.V., Public Campaign, the Environmental Media Services, the Citizens Commission on Civil Rights." 

"Kovach is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and serves on a number of boards including: the board of incorporators and the advisory board of Harvard Magazine; and the advisory boards of the ... Native American Journalists Foundation, The Right Question Project." 


 * Senior Counselor, Project for Excellence in Journalism
 * Development Advisory Board, Investigative Reporters and Editors