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BPR & NPR Present "Public Media: Building Trust in an Age of Mistrust"

Public Media: Building Trust in an Age of Mistrust, September 10th at 7 pm at the Wortham Center for Performing Arts. Tickets are $20. Tickets may be purchased online at dwtheatre.com or by calling the Wortham Center's box office Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm at 828-257-4530.

As the 2020 national election ramps up, public interest in how the media covers it is intensifying. Blue Ridge Public Radio and National Public Radio will host a community conversation to tackle one of the most important components of journalism – trust – on September 10th at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts in Asheville, beginning at 7:00 pm.

Public Media: Building Trust in an Age of Mistrust will offer an evening of candid discussion and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the role of ethics and rigorous journalism standards in one of our country’s most respected newsrooms. Elizabeth Jensen, NPR’s Public Editor, and Mark Memmott, NPR’s Senior Editor for Standards and Practices, will join BPR’s News Director Matt Bush, along with Virginia Daffron, Managing Editor, Mountain Xpress; Casey Blake, Opinions Editor, Asheville Citizen Times; and Scott McLeod, Publisher/Editor, Smoky Mountain News. 

They will share real-world scenarios that have challenged NPR’s newsroom to examine deeply what it means to be an ethical journalist, the importance of earning the public’s trust, and the critical role the fourth estate plays in American Democracy. Journalists from the region’s print media will bring their own ethical challenges to the conversation.         

Credit NPR
Elizabeth Jensen, NPR Public Editor

Elizabeth Jensen serves as the public's representative to NPR, responsible for bringing transparency to matters of journalism and journalism ethics. The Public Editor receives tens of thousands of listener inquiries annually and responds to significant queries, comments and criticisms. 

Credit NPR
Mark Memmott, NPR Senior Editor, Standards & Practices

Mark Memmott works closely with NPR's journalists to help them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards. He is charged with cultivating an ethical culture throughout NPR’s news operation.  Memmott looks at how NPR applies its principles and monitors the organization’s decision-making practices to ensure the organization’s commitment to journalistic excellence, transparency, and integrity.

Public Media: Building Trust in an Age of Mistrust, September 10th at 7 pm at the Wortham Center for Performing Arts. Tickets are $20. Tickets may be purchased online at dwtheatre.com or by calling the Wortham Center's box office Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm at 828-257-4530. 

Michelle Keenan was the Associate Director of Development at Blue Ridge Public Radio. She began volunteering for the station in 1996 and has been a full-time staff member since 1998.