It’s no doubt that Simpson has brought many respectable individuals to campus to speak at forum events. Some are Pulitzer Prize winners and others simply have great stories to tell. Journalist Jason Leopold, who was named Journalist of the Year by his former employer Dow Jones Newswires, is one of those people.

Leopold is credited for uncovering and reporting on the Enron scandal. He was among the first small group of journalists to interview Enron’s former president after bankruptcy was filed in 2001.

Leopold also reported on the California energy crisis and the manipulative practices that energy companies were engaging in.

While uncovering such huge stories, Leopold was battling his own personal demons behind closed doors and keeping his difficult past a secret from those closest to him, including his family and co-workers.

Leopold’s forum event will take place in Camp Lounge in BSC at 7 p.m. on April 10 and most, including Leopold himself, are excited for his arrival.

“I am really looking forward to sharing my story and experiences as a journalist in hopes of providing students with real insight into the world of investigative journalism,” Leopold said.

Leopold plans to address aspects of his life at the event, touching on both professional and personal stories important to making him who he has become today.

“I want to talk about how my personal life informed my career as a journalist,” Leopold said. “I’ll talk about ethics in journalism and reporting and touch on the personal issues.”

Leopold hopes that audience participation at the forum will be high as well, making it a very interactive event.

“I’m hoping that there will be a lot of questions,” Leopold said.

Besides all of Leopold’s accomplishments as a journalist, Leopold has become a respected author with his book “News Junkie,” a memoir of his life.

“My book is a brutally honest memoir of my life as a journalist and the many lives I’ve led before,” Leopold said. “Journalism is about truth, and I really wanted to tell people the truth about my life. I wanted to go beyond the byline.”

Brian Steffen, professor of communication studies and chair of the department has read Leopold’s book and has many positive things to say about it.

“I thought it was an interesting read,” Steffen said. “It was a page turner. We bring these journalists to campus and put them on a pedestal. What we find when they’re here is that they’re human.

Senior Hannah Packard is one of many students who have also read Leopold’s book and agrees that it was interesting to read.

“I liked the book a lot,” Packard said. “It really shows the obstacles that he had to overcome with himself to become who he is today. I enjoyed how honest he was and how open he was to sharing every aspect of his life, both personal and professional.”