Wiki Biography / Profile Background
Introduction :
- Fred de Sam Lazaro is a renowned journalist, documentarian, and correspondent with diverse reporting experience. He also serves as a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Hendrickson Institute of Ethical Leadership and sits on the board of directors for MinnPost. His reporting has covered a broad range of topics, including local news, AIDS, global development, public health, and social entrepreneurship.
Personal Life, Parents and Family Details :
- Fred, currently residing in St. Paul, Minnesota, is originally from Bangalore, India. He has three kids and is married. Anthony is the name of one of his sons.
- In 1975, Fred de Sam Lazaro immigrated to the United States from India. He arrived without any social standing or background in typical American activities like T-ball, junior proms, Boy Scouts, or high school graduation. He viewed this as an opportunity for a social makeover and a chance to leave behind any negative aspects of his past. Although he settled in Duluth, Minnesota, he has occasionally been questioned about why he moved there from San Francisco. Fred believes that the desire to feel rooted is particularly potent for immigrants and this may explain why he has remained in Minnesota for 35+ years. While there is a lengthy explanation for why he stayed, there is only a brief explanation for why he initially came to Minnesota.
- Fred de Sam Lazaro often shares the story of how he met his wife, although he prefers not to reveal her name. They met when she was an au pair in the San Francisco Bay Area after taking a gap year following high school. She planned to attend St. Scholastica College in Duluth upon her return to northern Minnesota. Fred visited her there and was smitten, ultimately deciding to stay in Minnesota with her. Despite facing disapproval from the young woman’s au pair family in the Marin County region due to the “mixed” nature of their relationship, Fred was welcomed with open arms by her family in Cloquet’s small paper mill community.
Early Life and Education :
- Fred graduated from the College of St. Scholastica, located in Duluth, Minnesota.
Work, Career, Salary and Net Worth :
- Fred de Sam Lazaro is the director of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota’s Under-Told Tales Project, which blends teaching with international journalism.
- The PBS NewsHour has employed him since January 1985. He frequently contributes as a correspondent and as an interim anchor for the network’s Ethics & Religion Newsweekly.
- He has directed top films for the renowned documentary series Wide Angle from India and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Fred has contributed to creating a library of social entrepreneurship and innovation reports through his work with the Under-Told Stories Project, which is now housed at Minnesota’s University of St. Thomas. The project aims to use storytelling to help students better understand critical global issues.
Awards and Recognition :
- Fred has received three honorary doctorates, several journalism honors, Knight-Wallace fellowships from the University of Michigan, and numerous journalism awards.
- His reporting on anti-trafficking campaigner Sunitha Krishnan won him the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle and Silver Angel Awards from Excellence in Media. His reporting on a Thailand AIDS shelter won him the International Video and Film Festival Award.
- His feature piece “Indian Violins” from 2007 and his 2005 report, “Right to Life,” were honored with Silver Angel Awards by Excellence in the Media. His 2005 Darfur story won Lincoln University’s Unity Award in Media.
Interesting Facts, Height and Trivia :
- Fred de Sam Lazaro is a journalist who has covered over 70 different nations and focuses on telling stories that highlight human suffering and poverty. He believes that these stories need more coverage in mainstream US media.
- In his breaking story (January 18, 2023) for a PBS publication titled, “Pakistanis build climate-resilient homes in the aftermath of devastating floods,” According to Fred de Sam Lazaro, Pakistan is still working to recover from the catastrophic flooding that took lives of over 1,700 people there last year. It was the most recent in a series of weather-related catastrophes that the nation has seen over the previous 20 years, leading to calls for strengthening the resilience of hard-hit areas as they rebuild. He detailed one woman’s efforts in Sind Province, devastated by floods. He wrote the piece as part of his series Agents for Change and in collaboration with the Pulitzer Center.
- Along with reporting on AIDS, public health issues, development concerns, and social entrepreneurship, Fred also led the first American crew to cover the Darfur crisis in Sudan.
- In another PBS story, Fred reported on a doctor’s program to expand medical care in rural and underserved areas. The program, called Project ECHO, was developed by a gastroenterologist named Sanjeev Arora.
- In a story (February 27, 2023) on PBS titled, “Alabama artist works to correct historical narrative around beginnings of gynecology,” According to Fred, the historical background of gynecology as a healthcare professional has a long history within the American South region. Still, that heritage is just as nuanced as the South’s history. As part of the Agents for Change series and our Canvas cultural and artistic series, he provided reporting from Montgomery, the state capital of Alabama.
- Fred has held positions on the Minnesota Children’s Legal Center boards and the Asian American Journalists Association and is a board member of the nonprofit online news site MinnPost.
- Fred de Sam Lazaro is a distinguished trustee at his alma mater, the College of Saint Scholastica, in Duluth, Minnesota. He continues to use his skills and experience to shed light on important global issues through his reporting and documentary work.