We are thrilled to announce a captivating addition to the Southwest Word Fiesta 2023: the esteemed Keynote Speaker, John Burnett, former NPR Correspondent. Mark your calendars for October 28th, 2023, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, as John Burnett takes the stage at the Murray Hotel in Silver City, New Mexico, to present “A Reporter’s Notebook: Forty Years of Looking For Hope in a Cynical World.”
John Burnett’s decades of journalistic experience have enabled him to witness the world’s complexities and share stories that resonate deeply with people across the globe. With his insightful perspectives and powerful narratives, he has helped audiences see beyond cynicism and discover the rays of hope that persist even in challenging times.
Throughout his illustrious career, John Burnett has covered a multitude of topics, uncovering stories that touch the heart and soul of humanity. Many of his remarkable reports are archived on National Public Radio’s website, showcasing his dedication to shedding light on both the struggles and triumphs that shape our world.
Some of John’s notable works include:
- “NPR National Correspondent John Burnett Retires After 36 Years at the Network” – In this insightful exit interview with Saturday host Scott Simon, John reflects on his journey and the ground he covered during his tenure at NPR. Read more
- “Mississippi Parchman Prison Farm Blues” – John’s freelance piece delves into the world of blues music within the confines of a Mississippi prison, sharing the power of music as a form of expression and solace. Listen here
- “The Galveston Storm of 1900” – This timeless piece, produced in 2000, commemorates the centennial of the devastating Galveston hurricane. Through archival voices, John brings to life the harrowing events and the resilient spirit of the survivors. Explore the story
- “The Times They Are Not A-Changin'” – In one of his last pieces for NPR, John addresses the theme of Divided America. He draws parallels between the polarizations of the 2020s and the 1960s, featuring notable New Mexicans who provide unique insights. Listen here
- “Musicians Use Rhythm and Harmony to Heal America’s Toxic Divide” – John’s final network piece emphasizes the healing power of music in bridging divides within society. Read more
But that’s not all. John Burnett brings more than just his storytelling prowess to the Southwest Word Fiesta 2023. On Friday, October 27th, he will be showcasing his delightful harmonica skills as he joins our local band, Blues Dawg, at the Little Toad Creek Bar and Restaurant from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM. It’s an opportunity to witness his passion for music up close and personal.
John’s Bio:
John Burnett, a working journalist for 43 years, retired from daily reporting in January 2023. He currently spends his time doing freelance stories, bicycling, playing the harmonica, and discovering new Texas BBQ joints.
For 36 years, he was a roving national correspondent for NPR based in Austin. In his last year, 2022, he covered Polarized America to explore all facets of our politically and culturally divided nation. Prior to this assignment, Burnett covered immigration, Southwest border affairs, Texas news, and produced frequent music features and audio postcards from his sprawling beat. In 2018, 2019, and again in 2020, he won national Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio-Television News Directors Association for continuing coverage of the immigration beat. In 2020, Burnett along with other NPR journalists, were finalists for a duPont-Columbia Award for their coverage of the Trump Administration’s Remain in Mexico program.
Though he was assigned to the National Desk, his beat sometimes stretched around the world.
He filed stories from more than 30 countries after joining NPR in 1986. In 2012, he spent five months in Nairobi as the East Africa Correspondent, followed by a stint during 2013 as the network’s religion reporter. His long-term reporting projects included working in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina, embedding with the First Marine Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and extensive coverage of the U.S. drug war in the Americas. His reports were heard regularly on NPR’s award-winning newsmagazines Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition.
Burnett’s 2008 groundbreaking four-part series “Dirty Money”—which examined how law enforcement agencies have gotten hooked on and, in some cases, corrupted by seized drug money—won three national awards: a Scripps Howard National Journalism Award for Investigative Reporting, a Sigma Delta Chi Society of Professional Journalists Award for Investigative Reporting, and a national Edward R. Murrow Award. His 2007 three-part series “The Forgotten War,” which took a critical look at the nation’s 30-year war on drugs, won a Nancy Dickerson Whitehead Award for Excellence in Reporting on Drug and Alcohol Problems.
In 2006, Burnett’s memoir, Uncivilized Beasts & Shameless Hellions: Travels with an NPR Correspondent, was published by Rodale Press. In that year, he also served as an Ethics Fellow at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida.
In 2004, Burnett won a national Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative reporting for his story on the accidental U.S. bombing of an Iraqi village. His work was singled out by judges for the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award honoring the network’s overall coverage of the Iraq War. In 2003, Burnett won a first place National Headliner Award for investigative reporting about corruption among federal immigration agents on the U.S.-Mexico border.
In the months following the attacks of September 11, Burnett reported from New York City, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. His reporting contributed to coverage that won the Overseas Press Club Award and an Alfred I. duPont Columbia University Award.
In 2001, Burnett reported and produced a one-hour documentary, “The Oil Century,” for KUT-FM in Austin, which won a silver prize at the New York Festivals. He was a visiting faculty member in broadcast journalism at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in 2002 and 1997. He received a Ford Foundation Grant in 1997 for a special series on sustainable development in Latin America.
Burnett’s favorite stories are those that reveal a hidden reality. Two examples: He happened upon Carlos Garcia, a Mexico City street musician who played a musical leaf, a chance encounter that brought a rare and beautiful art form to a national audience. In reporting his series “Fraud Down on the Farm,” Burnett spent nine months investigating the abuse of the United States crop insurance system and shining light on surprising stories of criminality.
Abroad, his report on the accidental U.S. Air Force bombing of the Iraqi village of Al-Taniya, an event that claimed 31 lives, helped listeners understand the fog of war. His “Cocaine Republics” series in 2004 was one of the first accounts to detail the emergence of Central America as a major drug smuggling region. But many listeners remember the audio postcard he filed while on assignment in Peshawar, Pakistan, after 9/11 about what it was like being, at six-foot-seven, the “tallest American at a Death-to-America rally.”
Prior to coming to NPR, Burnett was based in Guatemala for United Press International covering the Central America civil wars. From 1979-1983, he was a staff reporter for the San Antonio Express-News, the Waco Tribune-Herald, and the Garland Daily News. Burnett graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He has three children. He is married to Margaret Justus, former journalist and deputy press secretary to Texas Gov. Ann Richards.
