COM prof. remembers long road to success

Breaking into the news industry is hard enough without trying to do it as a woman in a man’s profession in the 1960s. Just ask Boston University journalism professor Caryl Rivers.
‘I was told a number of times that they wouldn’t hire a woman,’ she said. ‘Just point blank, nothing shy about it. They’d look at my clips, say I was a good writer, but that they wouldn’t take a woman.’
Rivers said this did not deter from covering big stories, however. As a Washington correspondent, she wrote about the civil rights movement, John F. Kennedy’s assassination and presidential elections.
‘We couldn’t sit on the floor with the male reporters,’ she said. ‘We had to go up to the drafty, old balcony where they stored the television equipment.’
Four decades later, the Society of Professional Journalists awarded Rivers with the SPJ Helen Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement. She received the award, which is presented annually to journalists with a lifelong service to the profession, last month.’
Journalism department Chairman Lou Ureneck said Rivers has been a ‘pillar’ in the journalism department, bringing the issue of women’s rights into the classroom, and added that the journalism department was proud of ehr achievement.
‘I think it reflects very well on us and speaks to the core strength of the faculty, and that we are practicing journalists and professional writers,’ Ureneck said.
Rivers’ articles have been published in publications ranging from The New York Times to Rolling Stone magazine. She has also authored 14 books.
The achievement award has been given since 2000 and has gone to several big names, including Tom Brokaw. Recipients must be nominated, and they are honored at SPJ’s national convention.’
Women’s rights have remained a major focus throughout her career, because of the struggles she faced early on, she said. She still writes about gender issues and discrimination, and was recently cited in a book called ‘Feminists Who Changed America 1963 to 1975.” Rivers said it is important for journalists to delve into these kinds of issues.’
‘We advocate for those who are less-well off,’ she said. ‘We need to push for people and get society moving.’
Rivers, who has taught at BU since the early 1970s, said she enjoys spreading that message to future journalists. She has taught different magazine journalism courses, including magazine writing and literary journalism.
Kevin Alexander, one of her former students, said Rivers helped him get started in the journalism profession when she had students submit class projects to Boston Magazine. His article was published, and he is now a contributing editor to the magazine.
‘She’s well connected and very, very willing to go to bat for you,’ Alexander, who graduated in 2005 from BU with a Master’s degree in magazine journalism, said.
Rivers encouraged students to develop their own writing styles instead of talking about her own accomplishments, Alexander said.
‘She always talked about this student doing this and this student is doing,’ he said. ‘She never really talked about herself.” ‘
Staff Writer Tatiana Alafouzo contributed reporting to this article.