Hindsight 2020: Media and Journalism in Weird Times
A Middle School (MS) Assembly Zoom Panel Discussion featuring Dr. Reniqua Allen, Ms. Susie Banikarim, Ms. Juju Chang P ‘22, and moderated by Ms. Zahra Mamdani P ‘31
Thursday, October 29, 2020
About the Panelists
Dr. Reniqua Allen is a journalist who produces and writes for various outlets on issues of race, opportunity, politics and popular culture. Her first book, It Was All A Dream: A New Generation Confronts the Broken Promise to Black America, about Black millennials and upward mobility is out now from Bold Type Books/Hachette. She has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, The New Republic, Quartz, Buzzfeed, Teen Vogue, Glamour and more, and has produced a range of films, video, and radio for PBS, MSNBC, WYNC and HBO. Dr. Allen holds BA/MA in Journalism and Political Science from American University and a Ph.D in American Studies from Rutgers University. She is currently working on a two new projects about Black popular culture and the American Dream and Black women and motherhood. She lives in the South Bronx.
Ms. Susie Banikarim joined VICE News in January 2020 as EVP and Global Head of Newsgathering. Based in VICE’s Brooklyn headquarters, Ms. Banikarim oversees newsgathering functions and daily newsroom operations for all of VICE News’ bureaus working across New York, Washington DC, London and LA as well as the news organization’s multi-award winning digital and social divisions. An award-winning journalist, director and producer, Banikarim most recently was the Editorial Director and Executive Vice President of Gizmodo Media Group where she set editorial strategy and oversaw Deadspin, Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku, Lifehacker, Splinter and The Root. She has received the Edward R. Murrow Award for feature reporting and five Emmy® Award nominations. Ms. Banikarim is a cum laude graduate of Barnard College and has a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism.
Ms. Juju Chang is an Emmy Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News' "Nightline." She also reports regularly for "Good Morning America" and "20/20." She has covered major breaking news for decades for ABC News, including the extensive COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout on hospital ICUs, health care and essential workers. Chang covered Superstorm Sandy, the Orlando nightclub massacre and the Boston Marathon bombing. Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Northern California, Chang graduated with honors from Stanford University with a B.A. in political science and communication.
Ms. Zahra Mamdani was a journalist for 12 years before joining the D-E Library team. Most recently, she worked as a Field Producer for HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," where she won an Emmy and a duPont award for her investigative reporting. She is a graduate of Columbia's School of Journalism. She likes old books, new movies and cycling around the neighborhood with her son.