The National Press Foundation Master Class with Alberto Ibargüen. 

Knight Foundation President Alberto Ibargüen recently sat down to discuss his career—from his college days as editor of The Wesleyan Argus to leading Knight—with Sandy K. Johnson, president of the National Press Foundation, for the organization’s “Master Class” series.  RELATED LINKS

SPEECH: “Alberto Ibargüen accepts award at National Press Foundation” – 02/19/05

Last month, the National Press Foundation awarded Ibargüen the W.M. Kiplinger Award for Distinguished Contributions to Journalism. Ibargüen joined Knight in 2005 after being publisher of the Miami Herald, which won three Pulitzer Prizes during his tenure. 

Ibargüen, who served in the Peace Corps and earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania, discussed many subjects, including how his law degree aided his work at newspapers, which also included The Hartford Courant (Conn.) and Newsday in New York.

“It was useful for vetting stories. It’s useful for knowing … instinctively that the law is a shield but it’s also a weapon, so my review of stories was always how do we get this story in the paper,” Ibargüen told Johnson. “If the story is true, how do we get it in the paper, not how do we keep it out.”

Watch the above video for more, or tune in to the National Press Foundation’s website.

Michael D. Bolden is editorial director of Knight Foundation.