WKU News

WKU’s School of Media & Communication and The John B. Gaines Family Lecture Series will present an exhibition of photographs and an evening presentation showcasing Jabin Botsford and Demetrius Freeman’s photographic journey from Western to the White House.

The Roommates: From Western to The White House exhibition will open March 13 with a reception at 6:15 p.m. in the Jody Richards Hall Gallery followed by the presentation at 7 p.m. in the Jody Richards Hall Auditorium.

Botsford and Freeman, both photojournalists for The Washington Post, will discuss their journey from Western to The White House and photojournalism’s role in political news and its importance during an election year. Presidential campaigns are highly staged events, and they will talk about finding a split second of reality in such high-pressure situations.

The exhibit of over 60 photographs will showcase their work spanning their careers, both in and out of the White House. The exhibit will be on display March 13 through April 19; gallery hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

About the Roommates: A little over a decade ago, WKU students Jabin Botsford and Demetrius Freeman shared an apartment on Park Street. Their ambition to make a name for themselves in photojournalism was high as they worked their way through the strenuous rigors of academic life. After graduation, they each went their separate ways with Botsford landing his first job at The Washington Post while Freeman cut his teeth as a freelance photojournalist and eventually a staff photographer for the New York City Mayor’s Office.

Botsford has documented the Trump Presidency since the beginning, capturing many of the iconic images that became highly discussed news revelations. For four years he reported daily to The White House providing some of the most comprehensive visual documentation of the Trump Presidency. In 2020, Freeman was brought on as a staff photojournalist for The Washington Post. Botsford was assigned to document President Donald Trump and Freeman was assigned to cover Senator Joe Biden’s campaign for President. Following the 2021 Biden inauguration, the two former roommates were back together again, this time on Pennsylvania Avenue. (Read more about the exhibit and the photojournalists)

About the John B. Gaines Family Lecture Series: The John B. Gaines Family Lecture Series, launched in 2004 in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Gaines’ family-owned newspaper, the Daily News, has brought several award-winning international journalists to WKU. Previous lecture participants include the Indianapolis Star Pulitzer Prize-winning team that uncovered the USA Gymnastics sex abuse cases; The Cincinnati Enquirer Pulitzer Prize-winning team that documented the addiction crisis, journalism icon John Seigenthaler and his son, former NBC network news anchor John Seigenthaler Jr.; Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts of The Miami Herald; and Chicago Tribune photojournalist and official White House photographer Pete Souza.

Contact: Tim Broekema, tim.broekema@wku.edu; or Jonathan Adams, jonathan.adams@wku.edu.