Former NBC News Foreign Correspondent, Robert Hager '60, Leads RLF Session on Leadership During Crises

Robert Hager '60, former foreign correspondent for NBC Nightly News, shared with Rockefeller Leadership Fellows his experiences covering a variety of crises both domestically and internationally in a session on Wednesday, December 1.  The session opened with a presentation by Eric Durell on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg before Hager took the floor. 

Hager shared with Fellows a bit about his background, noting that even before his time as a student at Dartmouth he knew he was interested in journalism and actively worked to seek out opportunities in broadcast media.  Using actual footage from his live reports during crises around the country, Hager led Fellows through an examination of the strategies leaders employ to handle crises.  He highlighted the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 in the Prince William Sound and the Chicago poisoned Tylenol scare of 1982.  Fellows took away that in the midst of a crisis it is crucial that leaders respond timely, act transparently, and show consistency in their message.  He then opened up the discussion to questions ranging from the implications of the modern 24 hour news cycle to the increasing prevalence of opinion in journalism.

-- Karen Doster '11