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The 20th annual Silha Lecture, sponsored by the SJMC’s Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law, will be held Oct. 24. This year’s lecture will feature Floyd Abrams, the William J. Brennan Visiting Professor of First Amendment Law at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Abrams is currently representing New York Times reporter Judith Miller in the Valerie Plame leak investigation. Abrams has served as counsel or co-counsel in a variety of high profile court cases, including the “Pentagon Papers” case. The Silha Lecture is free and open to the public, and no reservations are required. Visit www.silha.umn.edu for more information.
Professor Jane Kirtley took part in a post-screening discussion of the new film Good Night, and Good Luck at its Twin Cities premiere at the Walker Art Center on October 8. Other participants in the discussion were actor David Strathairn, who portrayed Edward R. Murrow in the film, and Chuck Samuelson, executive director of the Minnesota ACLU.
Students in adjunct lecturer Dan Browning's in-depth reporting class (Jour 5131) have heard from several guest speakers this fall. Star Tribune reporter Tony Kennedy talked with the class about source development. Lobbyist Craig Johnson, an advisor on environmental policy to former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura and former employee of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, discussed strategies for getting public information. And St. Paul Pioneer Press reporter Charles Laszewski, who covers transportation, talked about ways to go deep when covering local and state government.
The University of Minnesota Alumni Association has been asked to gather a group of alumni for a "town hall meeting" to provide feedback to several strategic positioning task forces that are working on transforming the University. The task forces that have asked for our input are those addressing undergraduate and graduate reform--specifically student support, honors, and writing initiatives. Alumni are invited and encouraged to attend the meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, October 25, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Continuing Education & Conference Center on the St. Paul campus of the University (ample convenient parking is available next to the Center). A map and directions will be e-mailed when alumni confirm their participation. A light meal will be provided. If you would like to attend, please reply to Cheryl Jones at cmj@umn.edu.
Calendar Updates:
November 16: Mentor Coaching Skills Workshop
January 25 or 26: Legislative Briefing
February 7: Networking Necessities for Mentors and Mentees
April 3: Senior Send-Off
April 19: Mentor Appreciation Reception
April 24: Distinguished Teaching Awards
May 23: UMAA 102nd Annual Celebration featuring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Instructor Gayle Golden appeared on the Court TV series Forensic Files on October 19. Golden was interviewed about a murder case she investigated and wrote about while working for the Dallas Morning News. “Who knows where this will lead?” Golden says. “Maybe a guest spot on ‘CSI’?”
Professor Jane Kirtley was quoted in numerous articles regarding New York Times reporter Judith Miller and the leaking of CIA agent Valerie Plame’s identity. Media outlets that quoted Kirtley on the topic included The New York Times, Reuters, Asian Age, St. Petersburg Times (FL), The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and American Prospect. On October 5, Kirtley was quoted in a New York Sun article entitled “Latest First Amendment Contest Erupts Between Judge, McGraw-Hill” regarding a federal judge in Washington who ordered the business publisher to turn over data about energy pricing to federal regulators investigating alleged manipulation of the natural gas market.
On October 12, Kirtley was a guest on Gary Eichten's Midday show on Minnesota Public Radio. The topic of the interview was "Do new newspaper designs bring new newspaper readers?"
The website of the Silha Center for Media Ethics and Law was cited in the September 2005 issue of Law Technology News as a resource for journalists and the lawyers who represent them in first-amendment cases.
Instructor Chris Ison was interviewed on September 9 by Kevyn Burger of Minneapolis radio station FM 107 concerning the media’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina.
A photograph by Professor Dona Schwartz titled “Lipgloss” from her series, “In the Kitchen” was selected for inclusion in the 2005 Center Awards Juried Exhibition at the Center for Photographic Art, in Carmel, CA. The photograph was chosen by Arthur Ollman, Director of the Museum of Photographic Art in San Diego, out of 4500 images by nearly 300 artists.
Ph.D. candidate Amy Mattson Lauters has been honored with two awards for her paper entitled “‘We are Legion’: Community-Building and The Farmer's Wife, 1955-1962.” The two awards, "Honorable Mention for the Maurine Beasley Award for Oustanding Paper in Women's History," and "Honorable Mention for the Robert Lance Memorial Award for the Outstanding Student Paper," were awarded to Lauters at the American Journalism Historians Association’s annual conference in October.
Chris Ison gave a presentation entitled “The Art of the Interview” to employees of BI Worldwide, a Bloomington-based business improvement company specializing in communication and training, on September 29. He also gave a presentation entitled “Paper Trails and the Freedom of Information Act” to the Minnesota student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists on September 28.
Professor Jane Kirtley was an invited delegate to the Media Law Resource Center's London Conference September 19-20, 2005. She gave a short presentation critiquing the new UK Freedom of Information law. While in England, Kirtley was one of only two invited participants from the United States at a conference, “Freedom and Security: an appropriate balance?” convened by the Ditchley Foundations at Ditchley Park in Oxfordshire, England, September 30-October 2. On October 16, Kirtley was a panelist at the SPJ National Convention in Las Vegas; she appeared on the panel, "Challenges to a Free Press.” On October 18, Kirtley was a panelist at the NABEF National Fredom of Speech Week program, “Freedom of Speech: Do the Same Press Rules Apply in a Changing Media Landscape?” at the National Press Club in Washington D.C.
Assistant professor Gary Schwitzer was on the faculty of a University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communication/California Endowment health journalism seminar, August 12-14, in San Diego. Schwitzer’s workshop was entitled “Disentangling health care news.” Schwitzer was also the moderator for a Minnesota Public Health Association panel discussion, “Value Systems, Science and Reproductive Health Care” on October 5. Panelists included Steven Miles, M.D., of the UMN Bioethics Center; Angeline Carlson, PhD, of the UMN College of Pharmacy; State Senator Sheila Kiscaden; and Brian Rusche of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition.
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October 2005