In recognition of the generous support provided by William C. and Barbara H. Edwards to the Hoover Institution's Media Fellows Program, that program has been named in their honor. "To recognize the Edwardses' efforts, and to acknowledge the significant funding arrangements they have made, I am pleased to announce that the program will now be known as the William C. and Barbara H. Edwards Media Fellows Program at the Hoover Institution," said John Raisian, director. "Ongoing expendable gifts will be required to sustain the program, but the Edwardses' support will provide a permanent nucleus of funding."
The program, Raisian said, has become a significant part of the culture of the Hoover Institution, wherein the Institution brings together Hoover "idea generators" and professional communicators who have a common interest in pursuing a public policy dialogue. "The involvement of media professionals was revived about 10 years ago through the leadership of key overseers," Raisian said, noting the contributions of Bill Bowes, Charlie Johnson, and Tad and Cici Williamson in addition to the Edwardses.
The William C. and Barbara H. Edwards Media Fellows Program invites print and broadcast media professionals to spend time in residence at the Hoover Institution. Media fellows have the opportunity to exchange information and perspectives with Hoover scholars through seminars and informal meetings and with the Hoover and Stanford communities in public lectures. Since its inception, the program has hosted 275 journalists from print, television, and radio.
Further, among the 70 or so media fellows engaged each year, about a third are "alumni," which enhances continuing relationships with these distinguished journalists. Previous media fellows include Pulitzer Prize–winning author and Washington Post columnist Anne Applebaum, Norah O'Donnell, chief White House correspondent for MSNBC News, and author and columnist David Brooks, with the New York Times.
