David Folkenflik, a media correspondent for National Public Radio, will deliver the keynote address at the 14th Oppenheimer Ethics Symposium in Moscow, Idaho, according to an April 14 announcement. The event is scheduled for Monday, April 13 at 5 p.m. in the courtroom of the Menard Law Building and is open to the public.
The symposium will focus on challenges facing freedom of speech within the media industry. Organizers say that external pressures on news organizations have created new concerns about how journalists investigate and report stories.
“Across the media landscape, we’re seeing new pressures placed on media organizations and how they investigate, report and critique those in power,” said Robin Johnson, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Media. “David’s approach to covering recent major media stories — from the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger to newsroom cuts at The Washington Post to the enforcement of the Federal Communications Commission’s equal time rule — consistently reflects an objective, ethical approach to reporting complex issues.”
In addition to his keynote address titled “Full Court Press: The Upending of the Modern Media,” Folkenflik will visit classes within the School of Journalism and Mass Media and meet with students. He plans to discuss ethical issues related to journalism as well as his own career experiences in both print and broadcast newsrooms.
“This is an excellent opportunity for our students and the university community to learn more about what’s happening in the media landscape and why it matters from one of the country’s best media correspondents,” Johnson said.
Folkenflik joined NPR in 2004 after working more than ten years at The Baltimore Sun. His reporting appears across NPR programs such as All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Here & Now, as well as online platforms. He has received several honors including five Arthur Rowse Awards for Press Criticism from the National Press Club and was recognized by Society of Professional Journalists with its Ethics in Journalism Award in 2018.
Since its founding in 2011, organizers say that the Oppenheimer Ethics Symposium has brought nationally recognized journalists and professionals each year with support from University of Idaho graduates Doug and Arthur “Skip” Oppenheimer along with Spokane Public Radio.