From the Free Speech Project at Georgetown University
Freedom of the press and access to factual information are cherished rights in western democracies. But in a 21st century climate fraught with political and economic crises and growing news deserts everywhere, how can reliable international, national, and local independent media survive? Amidst government efforts to cut or abolish funding for publicly supported media, the decline of community newspapers, and the struggles of no-longer-profitable commercial media, do venerable institutions stand a chance?
Join us for the latest in the monthly series, Free Speech at the Crossroads: International Dialogues, from Georgetown University’s Free Speech Project and the Future of the Humanities Project, a joint endeavor of Georgetown University, Campion Hall and Blackfriars Hall, Oxford.
This online conversation will include two veterans of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the vice president of journalism for the Knight Foundation, and an expert analyst of the disappearance of local newspapers.
Register HERE.
Panelists
Penelope Muse Abernathy is a visiting professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. A former executive with The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and The Wall Street Journal, she was the Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics at the University of North Carolina from 2008 – 2020. Her research focuses on the implications of the digital revolution for news organizations, the information needs of communities, and the emergence of news deserts.
Jim Brady, a pioneer in digital news, is vice president for journalism programs at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. He previously led brands such as washingtonpost.com and Digital First Media, and launched a company that built online local news sites in three U.S. cities. He has held a wide range of executive roles, including executive editor of the online version of The Washington Post and head of news and sports for America Online. He is past president of the Online News Association.
Aled Eirug is a journalist and former head of news and current affairs for BBC Wales. He ran the largest BBC newsroom in the United Kingdom, and has 25 years of experience with that public network and Independent Television News. For the past six years, Eirug has served on the content board of Ofcom, the regulatory body for broadcasting in the UK. He is currently an honorary research fellow at Cardiff University.
Susan Elkington has 30 years of experience in the international media sector. She held senior positions at BBC Worldwide, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, and Liberty Global PLC. With the digitisation of networks, creating growth in new media services and digital platforms, she has implemented video on demand internationally. She holds master’s degrees in French and European History from Edinburgh University, and in Psychology from Birkbeck College, and is now pursuing a doctorate in Psychology.
Michael Scott (moderator) is senior dean, fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford, college adviser for postgraduate students, and a member of the Las Casas Institute. He also serves as senior adviser to the president of Georgetown University. Scott previously was the pro-vice-chancellor at De Montfort University and founding vice-chancellor of Wrexham Glyndwr University.
Sanford J. Ungar (moderator), president emeritus of Goucher College, is director of the Free Speech Project at Georgetown University, which documents challenges to free expression in American education, government, and civil society. Director of the Voice of America under President Bill Clinton, he was also dean of the American University School of Communication and is a former co-host of “All Things Considered” on NPR.