Journalist from Boston Globe's 'Spotlight' team to speak in Rochester

Rochester Community and Technical College will welcome Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Stephen Kurkjian to campus this month.

The former Boston Globe reporter and editor will make two speaking appearances at RCTC on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Kurkjian was an editor at the Boston Globe for nearly 40 years and shared in three Pulitzer Prizes. He was a founding member of the Globe’s investigative “Spotlight” team and was one of eight Globe reporters on the team who investigated the Boston clergy abuse scandal. The investigation was the subject of the movie “Spotlight,” which received an Academy Award for best film in 2016.

Kurkjian’s first presentation, “The Gardner Heist,” will begin at 11 a.m. in Coffman room 206/208. The $500 million heist is the largest private property theft in history, and the case remains open and unsolved. Kurkjian covered the topic extensively during his time at the Globe, and in 2015 released a book based on his reporting.

His second presentation will begin at 2 p.m. in the RCTC Hill Theatre. According to RCTC, Kurkjian will speak about his career as an investigative journalist and reflect on the importance of independent and vigorous reporting in keeping our democracy vibrant.

Both presentations are free and open to the public.

Cover photo: Stephen Kurkjian / Courtesy Plymouth Public Library