Jonathan Allen: "Journalism is my calling"
Jonathan Allen of NBC News shares his thoughts on the current challenges in political journalism with students at Duke.
❝ To understand NBC national political reporter Jonathan Allen, one need look no further than his two stints at POLITICO -- first as a contract hire in late 2009, and then as a full-time hire in 2010 after a nearly six-week excursion into political advocacy.
The POLITICO newsroom was split on whether to re-hire someone who didn’t seem to know what he wanted to do with his life. But as publisher and editor-in-chief John Harris wrote in his “Why POLITICO Let Jonathan Allen Come Back” column from February 2010, “The benefits of his reporting are worth the trouble -- and worth the criticism we’ll take from those who may say he has no business working at this publication.”
When you’re barely 30 and have bounced around three organizations in less than six months, and the boss still wants you, you must be very good at your job. And yes, as Allen admits, sometimes a “pain in the ass,” too.
POLIS invited Allen to speak at Duke on April 20 to give students and other members of the community the opportunity to hear from someone who is one of the best in the business, who doesn’t hold back, and who would just as soon abandon the whole rat race at the top of his game . . . if he and his family had enough money to retire early. [Duke.edu]
| JONATHAN ALLEN is the co-author of #1 NY Times Bestseller Shattered. Watch a highlight reel of his media appearances below, and learn more about booking Jonathan for your next event today. |
