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Contact: Katherine Garner, Executive Director

214/977-6658

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Schieffer to Speak at FOIFT Celebration

 

      Bob Schieffer, long-time CBS News reporter and anchor, will be the guest speaker at the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas' dinner celebrating the 25 th anniversary of the FOIFT, the John Henry Faulk Award for Civic Virtue and the 30 th anniversary of the state's open records act. The dinner will be held Tuesday, March 25 at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas.

      Schieffer, a native Texan who is a strong supporter of First Amendment freedoms, joined CBS in 1969 and went on to cover all four major beats in the nation's capital- the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department and Capitol Hill. He has also covered every presidential campaign and Democratic and Republican national convention since 1972.

      Schieffer graduated from Texas Christian University in 1959 with a B.A. in journalism and English. Before joining CBS News, he was a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and an anchor at WBAP-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth. As a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram , Schieffer interviewed Lee Harvey Oswald's mother the day President Kennedy was assassinated while giving her a ride to Dallas, and he was the first reporter from a Texas newspaper to report from Vietnam. He has authored several books, including This Just In , which gives a behind-the-scenes look at his experiences in the news business.

      In 2002, Schieffer was selected as the National Press Foundation's Broadcaster of the Year. He has won five Emmys, two Sigma Delta Chi Awards for excellence in journalism from the Society of Professional Journalists and numerous other broadcasting awards.

      He is currently the anchor and moderator of CBS News' Face the Nation and is CBS News' Chief Washington Correspondent.

Current and past Texas leaders have been invited to offer brief comments at the dinner about the public information laws. Tickets are $150 and can be purchased through the FOIFT.

      Also, former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby and his wife, Diana will be presented with the Award for Civic Virtue for their devotion to philanthropy. Past award recipients include Dolph and Janey Briscoe, Charline and Red McCombs and Audre and Bernard Rapoport.

      The FOIFT, founded in 1978, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that works to protect and advance public access to government. The Foundation is supported through grants from private citizens, corporations, foundations and tax-deductible donations.

The Foundation offers government-access resources, including a free FOI Hotline staffed by First Amendment attorneys, a quarterly newsletter and customized educational programs on FOI and First Amendment issues.

For more information about the FOIFT or the John Henry Faulk Award for Civic Virtue, please call 214.977.6658 or write 400 S. Record St., Suite 240, Dallas, Texas 75202. Details are also available at the Foundation's Web site, www.foift.org.

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Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas

Office 512.377.1575 | Fax 512.377.1578
Hotline 1.800.580.6651

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 303004

Austin, TX 78703

Physical Address: 3001 N. Lamar Blvd., Suite 302

Austin, TX 78705

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