Freedom Forum program at the Overby Center to explore public sentiment on First Amendment
By Overby Center staff
The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics will host a program with the Freedom Forum on Wednesday, April 29. The program, “Free Speech and Free Press: From National Trends to Ole Miss,” will examine public awareness and support for First Amendment freedoms, with a particular eye on how speech is viewed on college campuses, as well as the real-world challenges and opportunities facing journalists today.
The program will feature results from the Freedom Forum’s “Where America Stands” survey which each year surveys citizens regarding awareness, understanding and support of the First Amendment. The latest survey showed that while admiration for the First Amendment is widespread, understanding of its five freedoms is uneven.
The Overby Center was founded in 2007 with a $5 million grant from the Freedom Forum. Al Neuharth (1924-2013), a lifelong journalist and First Amendment advocate, founded the Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan foundation that champions the First Amendment as a cornerstone of democracy, on July 4, 1991. He was also the founder of USA TODAY. The Overby Center continues as an affiliate of the Freedom Forum with a strong emphasis on the First Amendment.
Kevin Goldberg is Freedom Forum vice president and a First Amendment expert.
Kevin Goldberg, Freedom Forum vice president and First Amendment expert, will moderate the program. Goldberg is a frequent presenter and moderator at conferences and has appeared on major news outlets regarding First Amendment issues. Before joining the Freedom Forum, Goldberg spent 25 years in private practice at two law firms specializing in First Amendment law and issues relating to freedom of information.
The three panelists for the program are Angele Latham, First Amendment reporter for The Tennessean in Nashville, Aidan Poniatowski, an Ole Miss student in the Honors College and news editor for The Daily Mississippian, and Marquita Smith, associate dean for academic affairs at the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media.
Angele Latham is a First Amendment reporter for The Tennessean.
Latham is the nation's first reporter covering the First Amendment and stories focused on the five freedoms in the First Amendment. She has covered stories about our most intrinsic rights ranging from protests, book bans and religion to drag, free expression, public records and more. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. Her work is supported by the Freedom Forum and the Journalism Funding Partners.
Aidan Poniatowski is an Ole Miss student and news editor of The Daily Mississippian.
Poniatowski, from Oswego, Ill., is majoring in International Studies and Arabic. His interests include Middle Eastern/North African affairs, international governance and politics, international relations, and reporting relating to the Middle Eastern/North African region. After graduation, he hopes to pursue a career in diplomacy or Middle Eastern/North African studies, either for the government or as an NGO.
Marquita Smith is associate dean in the School of Journalism and New Media.
A former Fulbright Scholar, Smith has lived and worked extensively in Ghana and Liberia, contributing to international journalism education and media development. As a Knight International Journalism Fellow, she founded Liberia’s first Judicial and Justice Reporting Network (JJRJ) to enhance accountability and transparency in the country’s legal system. This initiative continues to operate, strengthening investigative journalism and fostering a more informed public discourse on legal and human rights issues. With over 16 years of experience in higher education and more than 16 years as an award-winning journalist, Smith’s last newsroom role was as Virginia Beach bureau chief at The Virginian-Pilot.
The program will begin at 5:30 in the Overby Center auditorium on the Ole Miss campus. The Overby Center is at 555 Grove Loop on the Ole Miss campus. Free parking is available for the public. A reception for all attendees will follow the program.
