Marquette University 2018 Nieman Conference to focus on ethics in journalism

February 15, 2018


MILWAUKEE — Former journalist Dr. Barbie Zelizer, Raymond Williams Professor of Communication and director of the Scholars Program in Culture and Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication, will be the keynote speaker at the 2018 Nieman Symposium and Lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. in the AMU Monaghan Ballrooms.

Zelizer has served on various editorial boards of book series and journals and is a sought-after speaker who has lectured to national and international audiences. She served as president of the International Communication Association and she is a Guggenheim Fellow and a Fulbright Scholar.

The lecture will focus on long-established understandings of ethics in journalism in light of two connected moments in the current American public imagination: the presidential election of Donald Trump in 2016 and the emergence of the #MeToo social media movement in 2017 that brought sexual harassment in the workplace to the forefront of public disclosure. Zelizer will discuss the viability of journalism ethics in the present age and argue that both events offer parallel illustrations of why a repair to ethics makes it possible for journalists to behave in unethical ways.

The Lucius W. Nieman Conference, named after the founder of The Milwaukee Journal, Lucius W. Nieman, is an annual event sponsored by the J. William and Mary Diederich College of Communication. In addition to presenting a public address, the Nieman Lecturers meet with Marquette University students and faculty. The conference and speaker series is currently chaired by Dr. Bonnie S. Brennen, Marquette University professor of journalism.

More information on the event can be found online.

Contact Clare Peterson in the Office of Marketing and Communication at (414) 288-6195, with questions.