Dole Institute welcomes columnist

Author to discuss 50 years’ experience in political journalism

By Sasha Roe

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Robert Novak, the author who in July 2003 wrote the column that identified Valerie Plame as a CIA operative, will visit the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics tonight to share 50 years of experience in political journalism. Novak will discuss both controversy and success as he talks about his new book, “The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years Reporting in Washington,” at 7:30 tonight.

Novak has worked for The Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal. Today, he writes a nationally syndicated column, “Inside Report,” for the Chicago Sun-Times, and he is a contributor for CNN and FOX News. His memoir came out last summer.

The nickname “The Prince of Darkness” came from Novak’s friend, reporter John Lindsay, who thought Novak had a dismal view of humankind.

Beka Romm, Dole Institute student outreach coordinator, said she expected some interesting questions and responses because of Novak’s recent notoriety from the scandal.

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Along with Novak’s fame, Romm said his abundance of experience with political reporting also made him a notable guest.

Novak received information regarding Plame’s CIA involvement from two Bush administration officials, and he published what he learned in a column titled “Mission to Niger.” Plame’s husband, former U.S. ambassador Joseph Wilson, had written a column discrediting reports of Iraqi attempts to obtain uranium from Niger. The leak scandal led to a federal grand jury investigation and former White House aide Scooter Libby being convicted of lying and obstructing the investigation.

Along with Novak’s fame, Romm said his abundance of experience with political reporting also made him a notable guest.

“Students on this campus may not necessarily be a huge fan of his, but I think he’s kind of one of those guests they are curious about,” Romm said. “They want to see what makes him tick.”

Barbara Ballard, Dole Institute associate director of outreach, said Novak’s visit highlighted the diverse range of guests the institute brought in and the purpose of their visits.

“We try to bring in a diverse population of speakers so our students have an opportunity to hear what these people think,” Ballard said.

Ballard said Novak was an exciting person to have visit because he was well known and people might have read his columns or watched him on the news. She said that with so much experience and one of the longest-syndicated columns, the conservative Novak reached a large audience of both fans and foes.

“He has one of the longest-running columns in the nation, so he’s got to have sustainability,” Ballard said. “Regardless of how far right or left you are, people develop a mutual respect for what you do.”

Ballard said Novak would bring in an inquisitive audience. She said it served a campus well when students could see the speaker in person, regardless of their personal views, and form their own opinions.

“You’ll have people that will just love him and people that will just hate him, and others that come out because these are the people they’ve seen on TV and they want to see their viewpoints,” Ballard said.

Novak also will have a book signing following the lecture, which begins at 7:30 p.m.

— Edited by Tara Smith

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