Spring Ethics Forum: April 4

“The Morality of Muckraking: Journalistic Ethics from Jack Anderson to Julian Assange”

A Lecture and Book Signing featuring Professor Mark Feldstein, author of Poisoning the Press: Richard Nixon, Jack Anderson, and the Rise of Washington’s Scandal Culture

Monday, April 4 | 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. | Room 130, Murphy Hall
University of Minnesota -Twin Cities Campus

When secret government documents are leaked, does the press have a duty to share them with the public, or does such “muckraking” compromise national security? Join us to hear Professor Mark Feldstein examine the ethics of publishing leaked documents and the challenges journalists face when they receive secret information.

This year’s Spring Ethics Forum, “The Morality of Muckraking: Journalistic Ethics from Jack Anderson to Julian Assange” is being co-sponsored by the Minnesota Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The lecture begins at 7:00 p.m. in room 130 of Murphy Hall, in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication on the East Bank Campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The program will include an opportunity for audience Q&A, and will be followed by a book signing. The ethics forum is free and open to the public. No reservations or tickets are required.

Professor Feldstein is the author of Poisoning the Press: Richard Nixon, Jack Anderson, and the Rise of Washington’s Scandal Culture, which NBC News’ Michael Isikoff called “a stunning tale of political and journalistic dirty tricks” and an “enthralling account” of the feud between Nixon and Anderson that “explains the larger story of how our modern era of political scandal was born.” Cokie Roberts, news analyst for ABC and NPR, called the book a “fast-paced tour de force” that tells of how a “muckraker held the powerful accountable through the kind of investigative journalism often missing in an era of disappearing newspapers and dwindling news budgets.”

Feldstein is a veteran investigative journalist who has worked for CNN, ABC News, and NBC News. He has won over 50 journalism awards, including two George Foster Peabody public service awards, the duPont-Columbia award for investigative reporting, and the Edward R. Murrow broadcasting prize. He currently directs George Washington University’s Journalism Oral History Project.

The Silha Center is based at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota. Silha Center activities are made possible by a generous endowment from the late Otto Silha and his wife, Helen Silha.

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), the oldest, largest and broadest-based organization of journalists in the U.S., was founded as Sigma Delta Chi in 1909. The Minnesota Pro Chapter was founded in 1956; current membership totals about 160.

Parking is available in the Church Street Ramp across from Morill Hall, the Fourth Street Ramp, and the Washington Avenue Ramp. Details about directions and parking can be found at www.umn.edu/pts. For further information, please contact the Silha Center at 612-625-3421 or silha@umn.edu, or visit www.silha.umn.edu.