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Journalism ethics spotlighted in UW-Madison lecture series

February 8, 2008 By Dennis Chaptman

Ethical issues confronting the rapidly changing world of journalism are the focus of the Burgess Lectures in Journalism Ethics, which begin Monday, Feb. 11, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

"We’ve never seen a more important time in journalism to be focusing on ethics," says journalism professor Robert E. Drechsel. "We’ve witnessed notable scandals, but more importantly, the shifting media landscape presents new challenges that require new thinking."

Four lectures, free to the public, comprise the series and all will be held in the Nafziger Conference Room on the fifth floor of Vilas Hall at 4 p.m. on the designated dates. Speakers include:

  • Ted Gup, journalism professor at Case Western Reserve University, who will address "Journalism Ethics: Why Conscience Fails," on Monday, Feb. 11.
  • Stephen Ward, director and associate professor of journalism ethics at the University of British Columbia, who will talk about "The End of Objectivity? Reforming the Idea of News Objectivity for a Media Revolution," on Thursday, Feb. 14.
  • Jeffrey Seglin, associate professor in the Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College, who will address "Journalism Ethics: A Failure of Imagination," on Thursday, Feb. 21.
  • Ted Glasser, communication professor at Stanford University who will speak on "News and Solidarity: Aspects of a Normative Theory of Journalism," on Monday, Feb. 25.

The Burgess Lectures are made possible through generous donations from alumni, friends of the school and James E. Burgess, former publisher of the Wisconsin State Journal and executive vice president of Lee Enterprises. Burgess has also endowed the school’s James E. Burgess Ethics in Journalism Chair.

"The school has always been a leader in ensuring reasoned and ethical practice through its teaching, so the gift from Jim Burgess to endow this chair helps us continue that key work," says Drechsel, who is leading the search for the Burgess chair in ethics.