Published on April 8, 2011  

As athletes and sports fans turn to Twitter and Facebook to share breaking news or discuss rumors, sports reporters are increasingly using social media as a go-to source of information.

Jason Reid, sports columnist for The Washington Post, will speak on social media and sports writing April 14 for Samford University’s 2011 Timothy Sumner Robinson Forum. The free public event will begin at 7 p.m. in Brock Forum (Dwight Beeson Hall) on the Samford campus.

“I am thrilled to have Jason Reid as this year’s Timothy Sumner Robinson speaker,” said Bernie Ankney, chair of Samford's Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. “He was recognized nationally for his exceptional coverage of the Washington Redskins when he was the beat writer. Now, he’s one of the Post’s most well-regarded sports columnists.”

Before assuming his role as general sports columnist for the Post early this year, Reid was the lead reporter and blogger covering the NFL’s Washington Redskins. Reid began his reporting career with the Los Angeles Times.

“I can’t wait to hear Reid’s lecture on social media and sports reporting,” Ankney said. “This is a particularly timely issue based on the Auburn and Cam Newton story. Twitter and Facebook reports really drove the story.”

The Timothy Sumner Robinson Forum was established in 2006 by Samford University and The Washington Post as a way to honor Robinson’s stellar career as a journalist. Robinson, a graduate of Samford University, is best-known for his work as U.S. District Court reporter for The Post covering the Watergate scandal during the mid-1970s. One year, Robinson had more front-page bylines than any other Post reporter.

Previous Robinson Forum speakers:

·      Eugene Robinson (2008): Nationally-syndicated columnist for The Washington Post and a regular commentator on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and other television news programs.

·      Leonard Downie Jr. (2007): Then-executive editor of The Washington Post.

·      David Broder (2006): Pulitzer prize winning political columnist for The Washington Post.

In addition to the Timothy Sumner Robinson Forum, The Washington Post offers a special two-week fellowship each summer for one outstanding Samford journalism major.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.