Bill McGurn on Journalism, Faith and Freedom

Join Roger Ream ’76 in this week’s Liberty + Leadership Podcast as he speaks with Bill McGurn, who sits on The Wall Street Journal editorial board and writes the weekly “Main Street” column for the Journal. In this week’s episode, they explore Bill’s career at The Wall Street Journal, his deep connection with Hong Kong political prisoner Jimmy Lai, and the intertwined themes of faith and imprisonment. They also discuss ways in which ordinary people can help support press freedom and combat the rise of imprisoned journalists including Jimmy Lai, WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich and countless others who are wrongfully imprisoned worldwide.

Bill McGurn is an author and journalist. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and previously served as chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush. He was the chief editorial writer for The Wall Street Journal, and for more than a decade, Bill reported from overseas: in Brussels with The Wall Street Journal/Europe and in Hong Kong with both the Asian Wall Street Journal and the Far Eastern Economic Review. Bill is the author of “Terrorist or Freedom Fighter” and a book on Hong Kong entitled “Perfidious Albion.” He received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Notre Dame and a master’s degree in communications from Boston University. In 2022, TFAS honored Bill with the Thomas L. Phillips Career Achievement Award for producing work that is emblematic of the type of courageous journalism and dedication to the truth that we strive to teach at TFAS.