Former Alaska journalist dies of breast cancer
Malin
Jennings, public relations executive, former television
journalist, and Arctic researcher and advocate for the peoples
there impacted by global climate change, died on November 28, in
Arlington, Virginia, from complications from breast cancer. She
was 57. Jennings came to Washington, D.C. after working as a television journalist in Alaska, where she worked for KTVF-TV in Fairbanks from 1978 to 1981, KTOO-TV in Juneau in 1981 and at KAKM-TV and KTUU-TV in Anchorage from 1982 to 1985.
A six-part documentary series she produced in 1982 received the Public Service Award, the highest journalism honor bestowed in the state. It was in the 49th state that she developed what would become a life-long love for the Arctic.
Moving to Washington, D.C. in 1985, she served for two years as press secretary to the late Senator Ted Stevens, followed by four years as a national television news correspondent for the now defunct CONUS News Service, covering the White House, Congress, and national stories such as the Iran-Contra trial for 125 local stations around the U.S.
Jennings later worked for the international public relations firm of Fleishman-Hillard for 13 years, specializing in communications of financial services firms, where she won a Silver Anvil, the public relations industry's highest honor, among many other awards.
In addition, Jennings taught communications at Johns Hopkins University.
In 2006, Jennings created the Arctic ICCE Project: Inuit Climate Change Ethnographies, which documented the impact of climate change on the people, culture and environment on the earth's two northernmost communities, Siorapaluk and Qaanaaq, Greenland.
Through her research, Jennings became an active advocate for Greenlanders hit hard by Arctic warming, giving speeches at the World Bank, the World Wildlife Fund in Tokyo, and the 2009 COP 15 Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen.
Jennings is survived by her husband Jeffrey Telgarsky; step-daughter Vivian; two step-sons from a previous marriage, Derek (Jennifer) and Jamie Weitzel; sisters, Sara Jennings Spittel (Rob) and Heidi Jennings Fowler (Jim) and a brother, Ethan (Amy), as well as nine nieces and nephews. One niece and one nephew are the children of her late brother Jonathan. She had three step-grandchildren.
Services will be held on December 14 at Joseph Gawler's Sons in Washington, D.C., with interment following at the Historic Congressional Cemetery.