Fred de Sam Lazaro

Journalist in Residence

Fred de Sam Lazaro has served as a correspondent for the PBS NewsHour for four decades. He also was a regular contributor and substitute anchor for PBS’ Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. Fred also has directed films from India and the Democratic Republic of Congo for the acclaimed PBS documentary series, Wide Angle. His reporting is generally focused on the myriad issues that underlie poverty and human suffering that are under-reported in the mainstream U.S. media. This work has taken him to 71 countries, but since 2020, he has also been a frontline reporter on two historic domestic stories that unfolded in his Twin Cities home base: the murder of George Floyd and Operation Metro Surge.

Fred founded the Under-Told Stories Project, a library of short documentary reports with learning materials designed to use storytelling to enhance students’ understanding of the pressing global issues of our time. At Santa Clara University, he will guest lecture in Journalism classes, lead student workshops, including collaborations with the Miller Center for Global Impact, and directly engage students via internships in hands-on reporting He is the recipient of three honorary doctorates and numerous journalism awards. He was awarded media fellowships from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the University of Michigan’s Knight Wallace program. Fred chairs the board of Sahan Journal, a Minnesota-based local news non-profit primarily serving immigrant communities and also serves on the board of the Hill Monastic Museum and Library.

Fred was born in Bangalore, India and lives in St. Paul