Special to the Bell Ringer |
Gene Policinski, the chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute and a veteran journalist, will be the keynote speaker at the Future of the First Amendment Symposium, a three-day event at Augusta University from March 13-15.
Policinski, who was the founding editor of USA Today, will give a talk titled “Twenty-first-Century Threats to the First Amendment: Bodies, Bytes and Well-Meaning People” on Wednesday, March 13, at 7 p.m. in the Jaguar Student Activities Center (JSAC) Ballroom on the Summerville campus. Like all events during the symposium, Policinski’s talk is free and open to the public.
Policinski grew up in Indiana and began his journalism career at the Greenfield Daily Reporterwhile a student at Ball State University. In 1972, he joined the Marion Chronicle-Tribuneas a reporter, covering the Indiana general assembly. From 1976 to 1979, he was Indianapolis bureau chief for Gannett News Service. In 1979, he moved to the GNS Washington bureau, and in late 1981 joined the team working on construction of USA Today. He was Washington, D.C., editor of the newspaper when it launched on Sept. 15, 1982, and held several executive positions at the paper, including managing sports editor. Then, in 1996, he began working for the nonprofit Freedom Forum in Washington. In addition to writing about free expression issues, Policinski does a variety of online audio and video programs produced by the Freedom Forum Institute, including “The First Five” podcast, and writes a nationally distributed weekly commentary titled Inside the First Amendment.
The First Amendment symposium gets started on Wednesday, March 13, at noon in the AU TVC Lab in 183 University Hall. In a session titled “Free Expression in Georgia,” Augusta attorney David E. Hudson, counsel for the Georgia Press Association, will answers questions from the AU Media Law class and other students about free press-free speech legal issues. The moderator for the session is Parish Howard, editor-publisher of theNews and Farmer and the Jefferson Reporter. Howard is the former editor of the AU student newspaper, the Bell Ringer.
On Thursday, at 11:45 a.m. in the JSAC Coffeehouse, The Agency class at AU will present readings of Duke Law Professor Michael E. Tigar’s 1986 play “The Trial of John Peter Zenger.” Also during the Thursday noon session, Dr. Will Bryant of the Department of Communication will give a talk on freedom of religion. Food and First Amendment T-shirts will be provided by the Department of Communication and the Phoenixmagazine for the Thursday lunch session.
Then, on Thursday night, the symposium will host a panel titled “Journalists in Jeopardy: Censorship, Intimidation and Violence on the Job.” The panelists include Liz Owens of WRDW, Dylan Wilson of Augusta University, Ron Morris of the Raleigh News & Observer(and formerly of The State) and Policinski. The moderator is Professor Debbie van Tuyll of the AU Department of Communication.
The symposium will end Friday at lunch with a showing of Oscar-winning 1976 film “Network” (written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet) in the TVC Lab at University Hall. Afterward, Matthew Buzzell, AU film studies associate professor, will lead a discussion of the film.
The First Amendment event at AU is sponsored by Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, the Department of Communication,the Bell Ringer student newspaper, the Phoenix student magazine and the AU Student Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Schedule:
Wednesday, March 13, noon, TVC Lab
Free Expression in Georgia: David E. Hudson, counsel for the Georgia Press Association, will answers questions from the Media Law class and other students about freedom of the press legal issues. Moderator: Parish Howard, editor-publisher of the News and Farmer and the Jefferson Reporter.
Wednesday, March 13, 7 p.m., JSAC Ballroom
Freedom Keynote: Gene Policinski, chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute and founding editor of USA Today. “Twenty-first-Century Threats to the First Amendment: Bodies, Bytes and Well-Meaning People.” Introduction by David W. Bulla of Augusta University.
Thursday, March 14, 11:45 a.m., JSAC Coffeehouse
Free Faith/ Free Theatre/ Free Food: Discussion of freedom of religion with Dr. Will Bryant, and dramatic presentation of “The Trial of John Peter Zenger” byMichael E. Tigar. Feast on the First: Food provided by the Department of Communication.
Thursday, March 14, 7 p.m., JSAC Ballroom
Journalists in Jeopardy: Censorship, Intimidation and Violence on the Job: Liz Owens of WRDW, Assistant Professor Dylan Wilson of Augusta University, Ron Morris of the Raleigh News & Observerand Gene Policinski of the Freedom Forum Institute. Moderator: Professor Debbie van Tuyll of Augusta University.
Friday, March 15, noon, TVC Lab
Mad As Heck: Screening of “Network” with host Matthew Buzzell, Augusta University film studies associate professor.