ON “TODAY”: The Piazza Family, Whose Son Died During a Penn State Pledge Event, Joins Plaza Conversation on Monday
ON “NIGHTLY NEWS”: Penn State Parents Whose Son Committed Suicide After Hazing Speak Out
ON MSNBC: Hazing Reporting, Special Guest Interviews
ON NBCNEWS.COM: Interactive Map Feature on States’ Hazing Laws, Original Stories, Videos
ON SOCIAL: Custom Snaps With Stories Featuring Hazing Victims
PLUS: Exclusive New Poll Numbers From More Than 10,000 Americans on the Hazing Epidemic
SEPTEMBER 15, 2017 – NBC News will investigate the hazing epidemic facing colleges and universities with a new special “Hazing in America” series across all broadcast and digital platforms – including “TODAY,” “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt,” MSNBC, NBCNews.com – beginning this Monday, Sept. 18, the first day of National Hazing Prevention Week.
Leveraging its unrivaled multi-platform presence, NBC News will collectively report on how hazing affects more than half of college and university students involved in clubs, sports teams and organizations, according to HazingPrevention.org.
On Monday, “TODAY” will feature a discussion on the plaza with the Piazza family, whose son died during a pledge event at Penn State University this year, as well as their lawyer. Reps. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) and Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), co-sponsors of the Report and Educate about Campus Hazing (REACH) Act, will also join the conversation, led by Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer. Kate Snow will also report for “TODAY” on the state of hazing in America, including what college parents and students navigating the Greek system need to know.
On “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt,” Kristen Dahlgren will speak with the parents of a Penn State student who committed suicide after being hazed and then having to haze pledges himself. A grand jury previously dismissed a link between hazing and the suicide, but now another grand jury is deciding whether there is a connection.
MSNBC will feature reporting on hazing and feature special guests, including lawmakers involved on the issue.
NBCNews.com will feature all series content on NBCNews.com/Hazing, including an interactive map on each state’s hazing laws, original stories and videos as well as a livestream of Monday’s “TODAY” plaza conversation. NBC News’ social media platforms will also feature content from “Hazing in America,” including custom Snaps with stories featuring victims of hazing.
More than 10,000 Americans participated in an NBC News|SurveyMonkey online poll about hazing on college campuses and whether it can be effectively eliminated. Poll numbers will be released Monday morning.
Tune in next week as NBC News and MSNBC examine the hazing epidemic across all broadcast and digital platforms during National Hazing Prevention Week.
# # #
For more information, contact:
Olivia Petersen
NBC News
o: (202) 885-4159
e: olivia.petersen@nbcuni.com
ABOUT NBC NEWS AND MSNBC
More Americans watch NBC News and MSNBC than any news organization in the world. NBC News is a global leader in news across all broadcast and digital platforms. Its leading and award-winning television news broadcasts include NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, TODAY, Meet the Press, and Dateline, as well as primetime specials and breaking news reports. For the 2015-2016 season, all four NBC News broadcasts were #1 in the key news demo. MSNBC is the premier cable destination for breaking and live news coverage, in-depth analysis, and influential voices – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The rapidly-growing NBC News Digital Group, along with the SiriusXM TODAY Show and MSNBC radio channels and NBC News Radio on the iHeartMedia 24/7 News Network, provide continuous content to consumers wherever they are, whenever they want it.
NBC News is part of the NBCUniversal News Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast Corporation. For more information about NBCUniversal, please visit www.NBCUniversal.com.
# # #
