Location: Eaton Theater, Knight Hall
You're invited to join three prominent journalists and Merrill alums who will share their experiences covering the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. This moderated panel will feature Robert Klemko of The Washington Post, Joyce Koh of The Washington Post, and Ashley Westerman Loboda of NPR. Key to the conversation will be exploring the experience of the modern-day war correspondent and reflecting on how the storytelling around this conflict has evolved.
The event is free of charge, and registration is required. Please reach out with any questions to journalism@umd.edu.
Panelists and moderators:
- Robert Klemko, Staff Writer, The Washington Post: Robert Klemko covers criminal justice in America, from policing to the broader justice system and the ongoing campaign for reform. Klemko joined The Washington Post as an investigative reporter for the Sports section in 2019, after six years at Sports Illustrated, where he was a senior staff writer focusing on coverage of the National Football League. He is an adjunct professor at American University, teaching classes in sports journalism. Klemko covered weeks 5-10 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with datelines in Kyiv, Lviv, and numerous outposts along the country’s northern and southern borders.
- Joyce Koh, Political Video Reporter, The Washington Post: Joyce Koh is an enterprise video reporter and on-air correspondent at The Washington Post, based in New York. She covers national politics and breaking news. She has previously covered the war in Ukraine, the 2020 presidential campaign, the Biden Administration, protests following the killing of George Floyd, the Trump Administration, and the deadly national opioid crisis. Joyce formerly taught as an adjunct journalism professor at the University of Maryland, her alma mater. Prior to coming to the Post, she covered the South Carolina state house as a television reporter.
- Ashley Westerman Loboda, Supervising Editor/Producer, Morning Edition, NPR: Ashley Westerman is a Supervising Editor/Producer at Morning Edition. A longtime producer, editor and reporter for NPR – Ashley has reported from three continents over her 10+ years with the network, covering everything from presidential elections, dictators, and refugee and climate crises. She first arrived in Ukraine in March of 2022 as a freelance reporter/producer to work on a podcast for Spotify. Once she decided to stay, she rejoined NPR’s International Desk in July of that year as Coordinating Producer. While in that position, Ashley was part of the effort on the ground to establish the Kyiv bureau and had many bylined stories. She left Ukraine in January of 2023 and after a slight detour back through Southeast Asia (where she was based before moving to Ukraine), she’s returned to NPR headquarters in DC and now focuses on how to keep bringing stories of the conflict to NPR’s air.
- Moderators: Merrill Associate Professor Christopher Hanson, former war correspondent, and Associate Dean for Research Sarah Oates
- Introduction: Fulbright Scholar Olga Gresko, Associate Professor of Broadcasting at the Taras Shevchenko University, Kyiv Ukraine