LEE BOLLINGER: A FREE PRESS FOR A NEW CENTURY
THURSDAY, February 11, 2010, 6:30 p.m. $9 for members, $15 for non-members, $7 for students & teachers, free for 1787 Society members. Reservations required. Please call 215.409.6700 or order online.
THIS PROGRAM IS CANCELED DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
This program may be resheduled at a later date, please check back soon for details.
F.M. Kirby Auditorium
National Constitution Center
Independence Mall
525 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA
Lee Bollinger, President of Columbia University, is one of the nation’s foremost experts on the First Amendment. In his new book, Uninhibited, Robust, and Wide-Open: A Free Press for a New Century, Bollinger explores the troubled history of a free press in America and looks toward the challenges ahead. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press in seemingly clear terms. However, over the course of American history, Bollinger notes, the idea of freedom of the press has evolved, in response to social, political, technological, and legal changes. It was not until the twentieth century that freedom of the press came to be understood as guaranteeing an “uninhibited, robust, and wide-open” public discourse. But even during the twentieth century, the government has tried to erect barriers: the sedition laws of WWI, the use of libel law, the Pentagon Papers case, and efforts to limit press access to information. Bollinger sheds light on this history and explores the meaning of freedom of the press in our globalized, internet-dominated era. Bill Marimow, editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer, moderates.
Lee C. Bollinger is on the faculty of the law school at Columbia University. He is also well-known for his leadership as president of the University of Michigan, in successfully defending affirmative action and diversity in American higher education. His books include The Tolerant Society, Images of a Free Press, and Eternally Vigilant: Free Speech in the Modern Era.
Bill Marimow became editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer in November 2006. Prior to rejoining The Inquirer, Marimow worked at National Public Radio for thirty months, serving as managing editor, vice president for news, and ombudsman. He was editor of The Baltimore Sun for four years, beginning in 2000, and managing editor for six years before that. During his years at The Sun, the newspaper received Pulitzer Prizes for feature writing, investigative reporting and beat reporting. Marimow also spent 21 years at The Philadelphia Inquirer. As a reporter, Marimow and a partner wrote the stories that received the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished public service in 1978. In 1985, Marimow received a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.
A book sale and signing will follow the program, courtesy of Joseph Fox Bookshop. Parking for this event is available for $9.00 at the National Constitution Center garage located at the rear of the building on Race Street between 5th and 6th Streets. Parking availability is subject to change, so please call the Constitution Center on the day of the program or check our web site for more information. Please also see our directions by public transportation.
For reservations please call 215.409.6700 or order online*. Programs at the National Constitution Center begin promptly and latecomers may not be admitted to the program. Please note that this program is subject to change.
*Convenience fees apply to online ticket orders. Call to reserve your tickets at no cost: 215-409-6700.
Related Links:
Office of the President, Columbia University