COCKBURN TO WCDS

The Wakefield Country Day School Unity Club recently welcomed guest speaker Leslie Cockburn. A resident of Rappahannock County, Cockburn spoke to students, teachers, and parents about her experiences as a journalist, author, producer, and current candidate for Congress.

A common theme in several of her stories, Cockburn spoke about her experiences dealing with diversity under adverse and often dangerous conditions. She opened her talk by telling the story of her first job with ABC when she was sent to Libya to obtain an interview with Muammar Gaddafi.

After speaking, she fielded questions from the audience. When asked by students how to deal with “fake news,” she advised to act more like a journalist and seek primary sources for the views of the people directly impacted by the event or circumstances rather than relying on a single, secondary news source.