Lectures explore the role of the press in society
March 28, 2017
Fairbanks academics and professional journalists will explore the role of the press
in society during a two-part lecture series at the Raven Landing Community Center
on March 29 and April 5. Both events start at 7 p.m.
“At a time when skepticism of the press’s credibility may be at an all-time high,
we feel it is important to provide this opportunity for the Fairbanks community to
consider the constitutional role of the press in a free society," said Mary Ehrlander,
Arctic and northern studies professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
The first lecture, “Freedom of the Press and the Press as Watchdog,” will feature Ehrlander
and fellow UAF College of Liberal Arts faculty members Brandon Boylan, Terrence Cole
and Alex Hirsch. Boylan and Hirsch are political science professors, while Cole is
a history professor.
The panel will discuss perspectives on the First Amendment and freedom of expression,
the relationship between governments and the media in free versus authoritarian societies,
and the role the press plays in gathering and disseminating information.
The second lecture, "Accessing Credible Information in the Age of Information Overload,"
will feature Dermot Cole of the Alaska Dispatch News, Tom Hewitt of the Fairbanks
Daily News-Miner and UAF faculty members Brian O'Donoghue and Adam Tanner. O'Donoghue
is a journalism professor and former reporter, and Tanner holds the 2016-17 Snedden
Chair in journalism. The chair is funded by the UA Foundation's C.W. Snedden Endowment,
created in 2003 by the late Helen Snedden in memory of her husband, the News-Miner's
publisher from 1950-1989.
The panel will discuss media bias, reporting on contentious political issues and ways consumers
can identify credible reporting.
Both events are free and open to the public. Question and answer sessions will follow
each lecture.
The College of Liberal Arts, the largest of UAF’s academic units, comprises the arts,
humanities, social sciences and language disciplines across 20 departments.
CONTACT: Naomi Horne, 907-474-6464, nehorne@alaska.edu
ON THE WEB: www.uaf.edu/cla, http://www.uaf.edu/polisci/, http://www.uaf.edu/arctic/, http://www.uaf.edu/history/, http://www.uaf.edu/cojo/
DOWNLOAD FLIER: Two-part lecture series