Last night, I had the privilege to help present the 2021 Missouri Honor Medal. Since 1930, this award has recognized leaders in journalism and strategic communication, including Sir Winston Churchill; Walter Cronkite; Helen Thomas, a former member of the White House press corps; and Cheryl Berman, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of unbundled. Our 2021 honorees are:

• Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman, a global communications firm;

• Maria Hinojosa, anchor and executive producer of the broadcast program, “Latino USA,” and a multimedia journalist with work on PBS, NPR, CNN, CBS and others;

• Tom Knudson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist whose complex coverage of agriculture, the environment and environmental exploitation has appeared in numerous newspapers;

• Eugene Robinson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Post.

What’s so special to me about this award is how it captures the broad impact this field has on communities around the world. Every year, Mizzou has the opportunity to celebrate life-changing work that reflects our commitment to educating global citizens for a global society. All four of these individuals represent the excellence we hold ourselves to at the Missouri School of Journalism. And they highlight our imperative to build the next generation of journalists and communicators who have the skills to engage, innovate and produce in today’s digital age.

— Mun