With a combined 50-plus years in the news industry, Jeff Zeleny, chief national affairs correspondent with CNN, and Aaron Sanderford, editor-in-chief of the Nebraska Examiner, will discuss the state of local and national news on March 27.
Their free public talk, “A Memo from Washington: Why All Politics are Local,” is 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Nebraska Union’s Swanson Auditorium. After their remarks, they will take questions.
The talk is part of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications’ Seline Memorial Lecture Series. The series, which began in 1992, engages journalism innovators and thought leaders to discuss and debate challenges facing the industry. Zeleny and Sanderford were invited by Shari Veil, Jane T. Olson Endowed Dean of the college.
“We’re honored to welcome two journalists who have built their careers on covering politics with integrity,” Veil said. “This year’s speakers offer a timely and critical discussion on why local news remains the foundation of national coverage.”
At CNN, Zeleny covers the Trump administration and its impact on policies and politics nationwide. He led the network’s coverage of the 2024 campaign — his seventh presidential race — closely following the candidates and the issues while listening to voters as he traveled extensively across the country. He reports for CNN’s television, digital and streaming platforms.
Over the last decade, Zeleny also covered the Biden administration and served as senior White House correspondent for CNN. He joined the network in 2015 from ABC News, where he covered Congress and national politics as senior Washington correspondent.
Before making the leap to television, Zeleny spent nearly seven years at The New York Times, covering Barack Obama’s presidential race in 2008 and his re-election in 2012. He also covered Congress for the newspaper.
Zeleny came to Washington as the national political correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, covering the George W. Bush administration and the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He began his time at the Tribune as a reporter on the metropolitan desk in Chicago, where he was a member of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism for documenting gridlock in the nation’s air traffic system.
Zeleny started his professional journalism career at The Des Moines Register, covering courts, politics and the Iowa legislature. A 1996 graduate of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, he was editor of The Daily Nebraskan and worked at The Associated Press and Lincoln Journal Star. He is a native of Exeter, Nebraska.
Sanderford has spent more than 25 years as a reporter and editor, covering politics, crime, courts, government and business for the Examiner, Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star. He also was an investigative reporter at KMTV, Omaha’s CBS affiliate.
Sanderford, a North Carolina native, spent several years as an assignment editor and worked two stints as an editorial writer. From 2005 to 2007, he served as communications director for then-Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Kentucky and a Master of Arts in professional journalism from Nebraska.
The lecture series was established in honor of S. Allen and Kathleen D. Seline, who were dedicated to helping future generations of Nebraskans.
“The Seline family legacy continues to inspire the next generation of communicators by encouraging meaningful conversations about the challenges and opportunities impacting the news industry,” Veil said.
