Date
3/31/03
Contact:
FOIFT office, (214) 977-6658
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
First
Amendment Institute to study Freedom of the Press in Dallas
The
First Amendment Institute, an annual program of the Freedom
of Information Foundation of Texas, is holding the second
session in the 2003 series April 11-12 in Dallas.
The
April class will focus on freedom of the press and examine
the questions, “who or what is the press, and does the Constitution
require it to be either responsible or fair?” Discussion will
center on current challenges to press freedom, and group members
will debate the real meaning of the fundamental Constitutional
right of this freedom.
This
session's instructors are Dr.
Susan Ross, associate professor, Edward R. Murrow School of
Communication, Washington State University, and Ms. Jane Kirtley,
Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law, School of Journalism
and Mass Communication, University of Minnesota.
Dinner
speaker for the group will be Ms. Vanessa E. Curry, journalism
lecturer and faculty advisor for The Patriot ,
at the University of Texas at Tyler, Department of Communication.
Curry will address the group on her experiences as a journalist
and champion of First Amendment rights to include recent challenges
faced in the process of conducting a class project on open
records requests.
The
law offices of Jenkens & Gilchrist are generously supplying
the space for the group to meet and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
is sponsoring lunch
for the class. Tickets to tour the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey
Plaza were donated by the museum for participants to experience
the local lore of JFK and other fascinating exhibits on show.
First
in the 2003 FAI series, was a study of the freedom of speech,
and took place last month in San Antonio. Future classes are
scheduled for June in Houston and September in Austin and
will study freedom of religion and freedoms of assembly and
petition respectively.
The
goal of the FAI is to provide a select group of individuals
a year of in-depth, graduate-level study of the importance
and applications of our First Amendment, its relationship
to freedom of information and its implications for our democracy.
The
opportunity to participate in this yearlong study of the First
Amendment is open to all. If you are interested in applying
for the 2004 class, or sponsoring a member of your staff or
organization, please contact the FOIFT offices at 214-977-6658,
via e-mail at foift@airmail.net or visit our Web site at www.foift.org.
The
FOIFT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supported through
grants and tax deductible donations from private citizens,
corporations and foundations.
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