Location: Knight Hall Room 3202 (third floor)
University of Maryland students, faculty and staff are invited to a University of Maryland First Book Event Featuring Freedom Forum
Co-sponsored by the Maryland Democracy Initiative and the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland, College Park
Registration is required. To join either session, please RSVP here. Both sessions have the same content and are in-person.
What role does journalism play in safeguarding democracy? How are today’s reporters navigating an ever-changing media landscape? Step into the world of modern journalism as our distinguished panel shares firsthand accounts from the field and how to navigate today’s political environment. Join Professor Lucy Dalglish's Journalism Law and Ethics class for a compelling conversation between a First Amendment expert and journalists on campus and off as we explore pressing issues, with a focus on the emerging challenges to defending press freedom.
Speakers:
BrieAnna J. Frank is USA TODAY's First Amendment reporter who covers issues related to the freedom of speech, press, assembly, petition and religion. She previously worked on the outlet's Fact Check Team and started her career as a breaking news reporter at The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Arizona State University with degrees in both journalism and political science.
Kevin Goldberg is a vice president and First Amendment expert at Freedom Forum, where he works to educate the public on the importance of the First Amendment and oversees Freedom Forum’s network of experts. Goldberg is a regular presenter at conferences — and at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, where he leads a media law refresher for students in the Capital News Service at the beginning of each semester. He has spoken at events sponsored by the U.S. State Department and nonprofits in more than a dozen countries around the world, as well as having appeared on major media outlets such as MSNBC, NPR, Fox television stations and the Forbes Breaking News Channel as a legal expert on First Amendment issues. He graduated from James Madison University with a degree in Communications, concentrated on broadcast journalism, and from The George Washington University law school.
Session I student journalist: Sam Gauntt is a junior journalism major. Since his freshman year, he’s worked as a Diamondback reporter and later assistant news editor, where he helps lead a desk of more than a dozen staff writers. He’s covered campus protests, the temporary cease-and-desist on Greek Life activities and a county councilmember’s conviction for stealing campaign funds. He’s interned at several nonprofit news outlets, including Maryland Matters and College Park Here & Now.
Session II student journalist: Lizzy Alspach is a senior journalism and Spanish languages, literatures and cultures student. She copy-edited at The Diamondback through her freshman year and worked her way up the editorial ranks to editor-in-chief. She coordinates coverage, special projects and manages a newsroom of more than 100 people. She’s also interned at the Tampa Bay Times in St. Petersburg, Florida, and The Baltimore Sun, where she covered book bans, a controversial environment project and the Department of Government Efficiency.