Seigenthaler Chair Celebrates 20 Years of Excellence at MTSU

Newswise — A nation split by controversial elections, war, natural disasters and economic crises has long looked to its media to help make sense of the chaos. But when the media appear to be creating some of the chaos, how can journalists respond?

Twenty years of critiquing and defending a free and vital press has brought the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies at Middle Tennessee State University to a celebration and a crossroads. April 4-6, the Seigenthaler Chair will celebrate its 20th anniversary by sponsoring "Self-Inflicted Wounds—Journalism's Lost Credibility," a conference hosted by the College of Mass Communication.

"This three-day conference is dedicated to the study of the problem of credibility that can be raised by three different sources: the outright fabrication of stories by journalists; plagiarism, literally stealing stories and claiming the information is yours; and the problem and great importance of confidential sources to the reporting of significant events, especially in Washington," said Dr. Edward Kimbrell, journalism professor, media critic and interim director of the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence.

"The conference is dedicated to not only these problems but some solutions and hope that this practice can be curtailed, while at the same time protecting sources who give us vital information about policies that the White House and Congress do not want the American people to know of."

Each event during the three-day conference is free and open to the public. Former Vice President Al Gore is set to kick off the conference at 12:30 p.m. April 4 in the Tennessee Room of MTSU's James Union Building with the opening address, "Media and Democracy." Seigenthaler, chairman emeritus of The Tennessean and a nationally respected advocate for First Amendment rights, will follow at 2:40 p.m. with the keynote address, "The Self-Inflicted Wounds," in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU's Business and Aerospace Building.

A panel discussion, "Fabrication and Plagiarism," follows at 3:20 p.m. Moderator Dr. Jane Kirtley, director of The Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota, will be joined by Jonathan Landman of The New York Times; Bill Hilliard, former editor of The (Portland) Oregonian; USA Today Executive Editor John Hillkirk; and Joann Byrd, retired editorial page editor for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Beginning at 5:30 p.m., attorney Michael Missal of the Washington, D.C., firm Missal, Kirkpatrick and Lockhart will discuss the independent review report of a "60 Minutes" 2004 story on President George W. Bush's Texas Air National Guard service. The report will be followed by a 6:30 p.m. reception and a 7:30 p.m. showing of the Oscar-nominated film "Good Night, and Good Luck" in the State Farm Lecture Hall.

Wednesday, April 5, begins with an 11 a.m. showing of "Absence of Malice" in the Keathley University Center Theater, followed at 2:40 p.m. by "Rush to Judgment? The CBS Crisis," a conversation with former "CBS Evening News" producer Mary Mapes and Wallace Westfeldt, executive producer of "NBC Nightly News with John Chancellor." MTSU professor Beverly Keel will moderate in the BAS State Farm Lecture Hall.

The conference will continue at 3:30 p.m. in the BAS as Dr. Carol Pardun, director of MTSU's School of Journalism, moderates a panel discussion, "The Ethical Issues," featuring journalism educators Dr. Tom Cooper of Emerson University, Dr. Renita Coleman of the University of Texas at Austin and Dr. Lee Wilkins of the University of Missouri.

Carl Bernstein, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist for The Washington Post, will introduce a showing of the movie "All the President's Men" beginning at 7 p.m.

The conference's final day begins with an 11 a.m. showing of "Capote" in the KUC Theater, followed at 2:40 p.m. by "Confidential Sources," a panel discussion in the BAS State Farm Lecture Hall moderated by John Mashek, retired national political correspondent for The Boston Globe and a visiting professor at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Panelists include:

"¢ Earl Caldwell, writer-in-residence at the Scripps-Howard School of Journalism and Communications; "¢ Barbara Cochran, president of the Radio-Television News Directors Association and Foundation; "¢ Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters' Committee for Freedom of the Press; and "¢ Lee Levine, attorney for Wen Ho Lee, the former NASA scientist accused of passing weapons design secrets to China.

And at 4:30 p.m. on April 6, Kimbrell will moderate the conference's final discussion, "In Cold Blood Revisited." University of Nebraska at Lincoln journalism professor Susan Gage and three former students, Melissa Lee, Patrick Smith and Crystal Wiebe, will talk about their Pulitzer-nominated eight-part series on In Cold Blood that was published in the Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World.

In 1986, the university instituted The John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies, honoring Seigenthaler's lifelong commitment to free expression. The Seigenthaler Chair funds a variety of activities related to freedom of the press and other topics of concern for contemporary journalism, including distinguished visiting professors and visiting lecturers at MTSU, research and seminars and meetings related to the study, promotion and defense of free speech and First Amendment values.

"The Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence has been a moving force in media introspection for two decades and has had a national impact in raising the standards of journalistic practice," said Dr. Anantha Babbili, dean of the College of Mass Communication. "It will continue to facilitate self-criticism that aims to make American journalism the best in the world."

One of the largest programs in the nation, the MTSU College of Mass Communication offers degree concentrations in 14 major areas—ranging from journalism to digital media and media management to recording industry management—and is accredited by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.