CNN anchor and chief domestic correspondent Jim Acosta and leading journalism scholar and author Michael Schudson will be the keynote speakers at a September 22 symposium, 鈥淩enewing Journalism, Restoring Democracy: Framing the Conversation,鈥� organized by the Boston College Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy.
Jim Acosta
The symposium, which takes place at 4 p.m. in Gasson 100, will launch a yearlong exploration of the vital relationship between journalism and democracy, the challenges these institutions face, and what might be a hopeful path forward for both.
鈥淓ven as we鈥檝e slowly emerged from the pandemic, another crisis has become evident: that the United States is fighting to preserve its democracy,鈥� said Professor of Political Science Jonathan Laurence, director of the Clough Center.聽 鈥淐OVID helped reveal the stagnant inequalities, growing polarization, backsliding democratic institutions, and retreating federal government that weigh heavily on American political life today.聽Nor is this phenomenon limited to the U.S.: The German, French, and Italian governments are facing threats from the far right; Tunisia鈥檚 new president has snuffed out the lone parliamentary democracy in the Arab world; and Russia has invaded and occupied the fledgling democracy of Ukraine.
鈥淲hile these and other crises have complex and multifaceted origins, a common culprit is the threat to credible sources of news and information. Democratic societies depend on the press to hold the powerful to account, keep their citizens informed, and keep the processes of democratic communication and deliberation alive. At this symposium and throughout the academic year, the Clough Center will celebrate the democratic press, which helps keep our system running鈥攂ut also inquire how best to improve it.鈥�
Schudson, a faculty member at the Columbia Journalism School, will present the opening keynote, 鈥淲hat Values Guide鈥攐r Should Guide鈥攖he Practice of Journalism in a Democracy?鈥�; Associate Professor of English Angela Ards, who directs 51茶馆鈥檚 interdisciplinary minor in journalism, will serve as discussant and moderator for an audience Q&A.
Next will be a roundtable discussion, 鈥淲hat Can Journalism Do for Democracy?鈥� 聽with Boston Globe associate editor and columnist Ren茅e Graham; Piotr Smolar, Washington, D.C.-based international correspondent for Le Monde; and Charles Sennott, founder, CEO, and editor of The GroundTruth Project and creator of its local reporting initiative. WBUR 鈥淩adio Boston鈥� host Tiziana Dearing, a former Boston College School of Social Work faculty member, will be the moderator.
Acosta鈥檚 address will close the symposium, followed by an audience Q&A moderated by Associate Professor of Communication Michael Serazio.
For symposium information and registration, and to learn about other events, visit the Clough Center website.
University Communications | September 2022