The 2024 Ann M. Sperber Book Prize Awards Ceremony was held at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus on Monday, Nov. 11. The Sperber Prize is given annually to a journalist with outstanding work. “The prize was established to promote and encourage other outstanding biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs related to the field of media and journalism,” reads the Fordham communications and media department website’s description.
Fordham has been hosting this ceremony for the past 11 years, and this year, journalist Jane Ferguson won the award for her memoir, “No Ordinary Assignment.” The memoir follows her early years as a journalist, especially focusing on her reporting during conflict in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Her work shows a mastery of navigating violence and political complexity. During the ceremony, she spoke about building her career and developing her voice in journalism.
“Awards that are honoring someone who wrote so brilliantly on the subject of journalism are incredibly meaningful because it means you’re put in a cohort of people you admire,” said Ferguson. “These are people I grew up admiring, so that means the world to me.”
Ferguson was raised in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. Growing up amidst conflict in her own country, she learned the power of journalism and the critical part journalists play in covering violence and conflict. Ferguson’s passion for journalism developed while studying at York University and working as an editor of her college newspaper. After graduating, she had the opportunity to move to Yemen to study Arabic and then took a job with Gulf News in Dubai before she started reporting for CNN International. She played a key role in covering frontline stories in some of the most dangerous areas.
Ann Sperber, the award’s namesake, wrote the biography “Murrow: His Life and Times” about journalist Edward R. Murrow. A pioneering radio and broadcast journalist, Murrow is best known for his coverage during World War II, specifically for his invaluable scholarship on Germany at the time.
“I wanted to write a book about what it’s like to try to make it here,” said Ferguson. “Those tough early years and the first signs of success and what that feels like.”
Ferguson encourages young journalists to keep pursuing this career despite uncertainties in the field right now. “You’re about to become one of the most important cohorts in generations because you’re into a time where there is going to be an incredible amount of upheaval, an incredible amount of news,” she said. “The public needs high-quality information, so your job is going to be unbelievably important, so keep going!”
Jay Doherty, FCRH ’26, interviewed Ferguson for WFUV. You can check out the interview here.
