October 17, 2011 – News rooms are downsizing. Print journalism is struggling to make a profit. Online media is booming. What does this mean to the future of journalism in a society that reveres the role of a free press? Do changes in the way information is disseminated to the public necessarily mean the information itself will change?
The University of Utah’s 15th annual Rocco C. and Marion S. Siciliano Forum will dive into these issues and more Oct. 24 – 28 with a line-up of veteran journalists headlined by Martin Tolchin (keynote speaker) and Floyd Norris. The forum will also feature live broadcasts and a documentary screening and other events on campus.
“The press can be our greatest educator and catalyst for change,” says Kirk Jowers, director of the U’s Hinckley Institute of Politics hosting the event. “Our methods of obtaining the news may be changing—instead of reading the paper over breakfast in the morning, we are navigating Internet sites and social media on our smart phones all day long—but the value of a free, independent press remains central to building engaged, informed citizens, strengthening our democracy and preserving our freedoms.”
The Siciliano Forum is a joint venture with The New York Times, KUER’s Radio West, the Rob Bishop Civic Engagement Fund, the U’s Department of Communication, The Daily Utah Chronicle, and the Salt Lake Film Society. All events are free and open to the public.
Following is a full schedule of events:
Monday, October 24:
- 11 a.m. Live broadcast, KUER FM 90.1
Interview with Andrew Rossi, director of the documentary “Page One: Inside the New York Times”Rossi’s documentary released this year gives the public an unprecedented look at the “Gray Lady.”
Tuesday, October 25:
- 11 a.m., Hinckley Caucus Room, 255 Orson Spencer Hall
Panel discussion: “How are Journalism Leaders on the Ground Adapting to the Changing Media?”
Broadcast live from the Hinckley Caucus Room on KUER FM 90.1Panelists: Nancy Conway, Editor of the Salt Lake Tribune; Mark Jurkowitz, Associate Director of the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism; Clark Gilbert, President and CEO of the Deseret News Publishing Company and Deseret Digital Media
- 7 p.m., Tower Theater, 876 East 900 South
FREE Screening of “Page One: Inside the New York Times”Filmmaker Andrew Rossi gained unprecedented access to the nation’s leading newspaper for this documentary, released earlier this year.
Wednesday, October 26:
- 11 a.m. Live broadcast, KUER FM 90.1
Interview with Martin Tolchin: “The Politico Approach to Paying for Journalism”Tolchin capped a 40-year career with The New York Times by founding The Hill, a newspaper that reports on Congress. Three years after retiring from The Hill, he was the driving force in launching Politico. Tolchin’s many journalism awards include the Everett M. Dirksen Prize for Distinguished Reporting of Congress.
- 12 p.m. Marriott Library Gould Auditorium
Remarks by Floyd Norris: “What’s Wrong with the American Economy?”Norris joined the New York Times in 1988 and has been the paper’s chief financial correspondent since 1999. In 1998, he was cited by the Financial Writers Association of New York for outstanding lifetime achievement. He and his wife, Christine Bockelmann, compiled and edited “The New York Times Century of Business,” which was published by McGraw-Hill in late 1999.
Thursday, October 27:
- 11 a.m., Hinckley Caucus Room, 255 Orson Spencer Hall
Panel discussion: “What It Means to be a Journalist in the Digital Age”
- 12:30 p.m., Marriott Library Gould Auditorium
Keynote address by Martin Tolchin: “Bigger, Better, Bolder—Some Unconventional Thoughts on the Future of Journalism”
Friday, October 28:
- 12 p.m., Hinckley Caucus Room, 255 Orson Spencer Hall
Panel discussion: “Political Reporting and the Fourth Estate: Who Watches Government?”Panelists: Susan Tolchin, professor in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University; John Daley, reporter for Deseret News/KSL; Matt Canham, Salt Lake Tribune Washington correspondent