More than 150 Ohio University students and faculty members chose to soak in the AC at Baker University Theatre Friday afternoon rather than absorbing the sun’s rays as they absorbed a saga of journalism and scandal.
Sara Ganim, a 24-year-old crime reporter with The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa., and the youngest journalist to win the Sidney Award for socially conscious journalism, gave a presentation about breaking the Pennsylvania State University childhood sexual abuse scandal. She was the first to report that former Defensive Coordinator Jerry Sandusky was being investigated for the sexual abuse of several minors.
“I knew this had the potential to be a big story,” Ganim said. “I had no idea that it would get to where it is now.”
Molly Yanity, a graduate student studying journalism, interviewed Ganim onstage.
“I am proud that we have student-organized programs like these,” said Bob Stewart, director of OU’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, who introduced Yanity. “She is a good role model for the students.”
Yanity said the Penn State sex-abuse scandal is a once-in-a-lifetime story.
“I think it is really a culture story,” she said. “Sports on one hand and sexual abuse on the other.”
Ganim said that the scandal is something that Penn State will have to deal with for a long time.
“You know, when you say Virginia Tech, what is the first thing you think of?” Ganim asked her audience “The shooting — and that happened years ago. When you say Penn State, this is the first thing that people think of now.”
Penn State will play its first game of the 2012–13 football season against OU Sept. 1.
This will be the first time in 61 years Joe Paterno won’t be at the first game of the Nittany Lion’s season, Ganim said.
Paterno died in January at the age of 85. Because of the Sandusky scandal, Paterno was fired last year before completing what would have been his 46th year as Penn State’s head football coach.
“I’m not even going to attempt to speculate what it will be like,” she said.
Listeners said they both enjoyed and learned from Ganim’s talk.
“I thought it was really good; I took a lot out of Sara’s talk,” said Todd Ward, a sophomore studying broadcast journalism. “I learned a lot from her and now realize how important writing is.”
Another OU student said he admired Ganim for having an effect at such a young age.
“It is nice to see a young person who isn’t from a large organization rise up,” said Noah Sacksteder, a junior studying advertising. “I think it’s great how she pursued her story, and you can see her passion shine through.”
bc822010@ohiou.edu
