According to Geoff Bennett, attending Morehouse College changed his life.
The newly appointed PBS Newshour co-anchor made that point as he revealed to Ebony’s Savannah Taylor why he established a new scholarship program that benefits English and journalism majors at the Atlanta-based HBCU.
“I feel like a well-informed society is a prerequisite for a functioning democracy. That is why journalism is so important. It’s vital for news organizations to look like the communities they serve.”
He added, “We need more Black journalists. We need more Black men who are committed to reporting political news, hard news and who are in this work of being dedicated truth-tellers and having a fidelity to the facts. There needs to be more of us doing this work. Starting this scholarship for English majors and for journalism majors at Morehouse is my way of trying to pay it forward.”
Bennett followed that by saying he was inspired by fellow Black journalists like Max Robinson, who was the first Black man to anchor a network news broadcast.
He also credits former CNN anchor Bernard Shaw, 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley, former NBC News and CBS News anchor Bryant Gumble, and NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt, saying that these are the journalists who paved the way for him and his peers who are doing this work now.
“I feel like it’s incumbent upon me to do so, and certainly, it’s one of the things I learned at Morehouse. It’s one thing to walk through that door, but you have to make sure that door stays open and help other people walk through it after you.
He indicated that Morehouse students who are English or journalism majors with a financial need should check with the Office of Financial Aid and inquire about the scholarship.
At the start of this year, Bennett became the new co-anchor of the PBS NewsHour, anchoring alongside Amna Nawaz. The two took over from longtime anchor Judy Woodruff who stepped down at the end of 2022.
“I’m honored to be entrusted with this responsibility in partnering with Amna Nawaz and building on the rich legacy of this storied institution. PBS NewsHour has been around for nearly 50 years and what makes it special is that it’s a news program with a mission,” Bennett said.