Panel of communications experts to discuss truth, politics, and the press
The Center for Western Civilization, Thought & Policy is hosting an event in congruence with the College of Media, Communication and Information on Thursday, Feb. 7. A panel of individuals associated with both the journalism and communications fields will cover topics related to "Truth, Politics, and the Press."
News producer Kelsey Harkness, editor Amy Westfeldt, and communications scholar Roderick Hart will all comment on the changing role of the press in modern American society. The panelists will discuss and debate ideas related to the growing conflict with social discourse. They will consider whether or not the press is to blame for growing hostility and debate the changes that need to be made in terms of the news coverage and the telling of truth from a journalistic standpoint.
Kelsey Harkness is the senior news producer at The Daily Signal, a conservative political journalism website that is published by The Heritage Foundation. Her reporting coverage focuses primarily on immigration, education, the economy, and conservative feminism. She is a regular contributor to The Federalist and Fox News and is a fellow at the Steamboat Institute.
Amy Westfeldt is the managing editor of NewsGuard. NewsGaurd is an online service that is designed to address the fake news crisis by using trained journalists to analyze, review, and rate more than 7,500 news and information sites that are accessed and shared in the U.S. She has worked for the Associated Press and helped the agency produce a fact check of false claims fixture in partnership with Facebook.
Roderick Hart is a professor of Government and holds the Shivers Chair in Communication at the University of Texas at Austin. Hart is an expert on media and politics and has authored or edited 15 books related to civic dialogue and political matters.
Students, faculty, and members of the public are encouraged to attend the panel. The scheduled presentation will take place in Hale Science, room 270, beginning at 5:30 pm. The discussion will be followed by a Q&A session and a small reception that will wrap around 7:30 pm. .