Graham Center presents free program on 'Media And The Presidency'

April 9, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Two noted political writers will speak at 7 p.m. April 17 at the University of Florida’s Graham Center for Public Service on the topic of “Media and the Presidency.”

Matt Bai, political writer for The New York Times Magazine, and Joe Trippi, political campaigner and author of “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” will participate in the free program, part of the Graham Presidential Lecture Series, “The Path to the White House.” The discussion in Pugh Hall’s Ocora will be moderated by Tom Fiedler, former executive editor of The Miami Herald. Free tickets will become available starting Friday in the Graham Center office, Pugh Hall Room 220.

Bai is now covering the 2008 presidential campaign for The New York Times Magazine. Before joining the magazine in 2002, he spent five years as a national correspondent for Newsweek. He is the author of “The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers, and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics.”

Trippi began his political career working on Edward M. Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1980. His work in presidential politics continued with the campaigns of Walter Mondale, Gary Hart and Richard Gephardt. He served as a senior adviser for John Edwards’ presidential campaign in 2008, and is most known for launching Howard Dean’s online election strategy during the 2004 primary season.

Fiedler recently retired after 34 years at The Miami Herald. He’s currently on faculty at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he serves as the Visiting Murrow Lecturer of the Practice of Press and Public Policy and is a fellow at the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. His investigative reporting was included in a series that captured the Pulitzer Prize for The Miami Herald in 1991.

“This should be a phenomenal program,” said Michael Bowen, assistant director of the Graham Center. “All three individuals bring an in-depth knowledge of contemporary politics to the stage and their discussion of today’s issues will no doubt be lively and informative.”

The Bob Graham Center for Public Service provides students with opportunities to train for future leadership positions, meet policymakers, and take courses in critical thinking, language learning and studies of world cultures. Its mission is to foster public leadership and solve issues related to the Americas and homeland security.