DATE: Noon-5 p.m. Sept. 25, 2006.

EVENT: Can You Print That? The Print Media, Minorities, the First Amendment, and the Public Good, a symposium at the University of Michigan.

In several high profile occurrences all over the globe, news organizations have published cartoons and opinion columns that were highly offensive to religious, ethnic, racial and other cultural groups. These types of tensions raise questions about how far the media’s First Amendment rights extend in protecting potentially offensive editorial content. What responsibility, if any, do media organizations have as members of the community, and what standards should be considered when making a decision to publish potentially offensive material?

These complex issues will be examined during a half-day symposium that explores the interface of First Amendment rights in print media and representations of minority populations, and religious and other cultural groups.

The symposium, hosted by the U-M chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, will feature respected journalists and academics drawn from across the country to share their insight and take questions from the audience.

The symposium will begin at the noon keynote luncheon, with remarks by Ellis Cose, Newsweek contributing editor and columnist, who began his career at the Chicago Sun-Times at the age of 19, the youngest weekly editorial page columnist ever employed by a major Chicago daily. In addition to his work at the Chicago Sun-Times as columnist, editor and national correspondent, Cose has served as chair of the editorial board and editorial page editor at the New York Daily News, contributor and press critic for Time magazine, president and CEO of the Institute for Journalism Education, chief writer on management and workplace issues for USA Today, and as a member of the editorial board of the Detroit Free Press.

The keynote luncheon will be followed by a series of three expert panels, moderated by Susan Douglas, the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, the Catherine Neafie Kellogg Professor of Communication Studies, and chair of the Department of Communication Studies at U-M.

The panels:

1:30-2:30 p.m., ” You Can’t Print That!” will explore through an historical lens the tension between the public good and the First Amendment as applied to major cultural issues such as race and ethnicity, gender, and religion. Panelists include: Margarita Bauza, Detroit Free Press business writer and columnist, and member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Board of Directors; Jack Lessenberry, Michigan Radio show host, public commentator, former Detroit News foreign correspondent and executive national editor; and Catherine Squires, U-M assistant professor of Communication Studies and of Afroamerican and African Studies.

2:45-3:45 p.m., ” Being Offended and Being Free,” will explore the First Amendment and its relationship to hate/controversial speech, specifically when utilized in an editorial format. Panelists include: Ellis Cose, Newsweek contributing editor and columnist; Mary Morgan, Ann Arbor News editorial page editor; Len Niehoff, First Amendment scholar and attorney, Butzel Long, U-M Law School adjunct professor; and Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press reporter, public commentator.

4-5 p.m., ” Editorial Decision-Making on Campus,” will consider the previous two panel topics within the context of campus journalism, exploring the particular challenges facing student editors of campus newspapers and the diverse campus communities they serve. Panelists include: Sierra Brown, immediate past editor-in-chief of AUC magazine, serving Georgia’s historically black colleges and universities; Jodi Cohen, Chicago Tribune reporter; formerly with the Michigan Daily and the Detroit News; Donn Fresard, Michigan Daily editor-in-chief; and Tiffany Hsu, Daily Californian editor-in-chief, University of California at Berkeley.

5-6 p.m. A public reception will follow the final panel.

PLACE: The Michigan League, 911 N. University, Ann Arbor.

FEE: All events are free and open to the public; keynote luncheon requires pre-registration at mediasymposium06@umich.edu or (734) 936-5190.

SPONSORS: Co-sponsored by the U-M offices of the President, the Provost, the Vice President for Communications, and the Vice President for Student Affairs; the President’s Ethics in Public Life Initiative; the Expect Respect Initiative; the Knight-Wallace Fellows Program; the U-M Board of Student Publications; the Michigan Daily; the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Theme Year, ” The Theory and Practice of Citizenship: from the Local to the Global” ; the Center for Afroamerican and African Studies; and the Entertainment, Media, and Law Students Association; the Students of Color of Rackham; Intellectual Minds Making A Difference; and Sister 2 Sister – U-M.

In September 2006, the National Association of Black Journalists U-M chapter celebrates its third year on campus. NABJ-UM has been highly active within this short time. It was integral in reinstating the Black Student Union publication, The Spectrum. The group works alongside the Michigan Daily to ensure newsroom diversity. And, NABJ at U-M hosts numerous workshops featuring media professionals such as Mark McDonald, Tony Norman and Rochelle Riley.

MORE INFORMATION: The public may contact the Office of Media Relations at (734) 936-5190 or e-mail mediasymposium06@umich.edu to register for the keynote luncheon or for additional information.