Murray State University’s prestigious McGaughey Lectures on Press Freedom and Responsibility continue at 7:30 PM Thursday, September 19, in Lovett Auditorium when officials welcome KET News Director of Public Affairs and Moderator Renee Shaw — a widely-respected journalist and media leader in the Commonwealth.
Currently serving as host of the weeknight Kentucky Edition, she also works on a weekly interview series called Connections, and provides in-depth election and KET Forums coverage.
Since 2001, she has been the producing force behind KET’s legislative coverage — and recognized for such by the Kentucky Associated Press and the National Educational Telecommunications Association.
Through her leadership, she has expanded the public platform’s portfolio of public affairs content to include a daily news and information program, as well as Kentucky Supreme Court coverage, townhall-style forums, and multi-platform program initiatives around issues such as opioid addiction and youth mental health.
In 2023, she was inducted into the Western Kentucky University’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni, and later graced the cover of Kentucky Living magazine with a centerfold story on her 25 years of service at KET — and even longer commitment to public media journalism.
Earlier this year, she was the keynote speaker for the Christian County Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner — believed to be the first woman to have the honor.
The McGaughey Lectures, created in 2023 for the perpetual honor of long-time journalism advocate Dr. Robert “Bob” McGaughey, first hosted Louisville attorney and longtime ethical and political cartoonist Marc Murphy, whose works are often found in the Louisville Courier Journal.
McGaughey’s association with the Racer JMC Department began as an undergraduate staff member of The Murray State News. Following a tour of duty in Vietnam, he returned to MSU as an advisor to the student paper, and became the first student to graduate from JMC’s Master of Science program.
He earned his doctorate in mass communications at Ohio University before returning again to the Murray State JMC Department as a faculty member, and was later inducted into the Kentucky Press Hall of Fame.
