Veteran Journalist Tom Rosenstiel to Speak at Duquesne University

Author, journalist and press critic Tom Rosenstiel-one of the country's most recognized thinkers on the intersection of media and politics and the future of journalism-will be the guest speaker at a free, public lecture at Duquesne University.

Rosenstiel will present Are the Responsibilities of Journalists Changing? at 1:30 p.m., Nov. 10, in Power Center Ballroom A. The talk, hosted by the Institute for Ethics and Integrity in Journalism at Duquesne University, will be followed by a Q&A session. Light refreshments will be served.  

Since the 2001 publication of their first edition of The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect, Rosenstiel and co-author Bill Kovach have been challenging journalists and citizens alike to reconsider the roles they play in the larger media ecosystem in the United States and beyond. Each edition has reinforced the increasingly larger role that citizens play in a digital world where it is easy to share information-and misinformation.  

"It is more critical than ever to help tomorrow's journalists understand the ethical obligations they have in presenting information in a world where public trusting the press is at an all-time low," said Dr. Pamela E. Walck, an associate media professor and a faculty fellow at the Institute for Ethics and Integrity in Journalism. "Similarly, it is critical that students-as citizens and information curators-consider the role they play in the digital sphere and the impact misinformation can have on our society and our democracy."  

During his visit to campus, Rosenstiel also will speak with students from the media department of the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts.  

"It is an honor to have Rosenstiel on campus to talk to our journalism students and expand on the concepts we have been focusing on in our media ethics classes all semester," Walck said.  

The Elements of Journalism has been translated into more than 25 languages worldwide and hailed as "the most important book on the relationship of journalism and democracy published in the last fifty years" (Poynter) and one of the five "essential books" on journalism (Wall Street Journal). It forces journalists and citizens alike to consider their own ethical mores and the approaches they take to sharing information. It also challenges readers to consider how to better vet the content they share.