Every year, The Robinson Forum brings a leading voice in journalism to Samford's campus. It was established in honor of 1965 Samford journalism graduate Timothy Sumner Robinson who was a seasoned and creative media executive with over twenty years in the industry. He served as editor, columnist and reporter for The Washington Post, writing more front-page stories than any other reporter during his time there. He was also editor-in-chief of the National Law Journal. His final position was editorial director of search and navigation for AOL. Robinson was highly involved in the digitization of the journalism industry toward the end of his career. He died in 2003 at the age of 58.
Upcoming Lecture
The 2023 Robinson Forum will be on Tuesday, Sept. 12, in Reid Chapel at 5 p.m. This year's forum will feature AL.com journalists John Archibald, Ashley Remkus, Ramsey Archibald and Challen Stephens, who collectively won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting for their coverage of how police in the town of Brookside preyed on residents to boost its revenue.
Previous Lectures
- 2022 - Anne Marimow, The Washington Post
- 2019 - Jennifer Greer, Association for Education in Journalism and Communication
- 2018 - Roy S. Johnson, AL.com
- 2017 - Bryan Lyman, Montgomery Advertiser
- 2016 -Brad Schrade, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- 2014 - Kyle Whitmire, Al.com
- 2012 - Gene Policinski, Newseum
- 2011 - Jason Reid, The Washington Post
- 2008 - Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post
- 2007 - Len Downie, The Washington Post
- 2006 - David Broder, The Washington Post