Public Matters Lecture Series begins with dueling journalists

October 19, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Jonah Goldberg, a nationally syndicated columnist and the editor of National Review Online, and Peter Beinart, the editor-at-large of The New Republic, will debate “Bipartisanship in the Media” at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Pugh Hall Ocora.

The event is presented by the Bob Graham Center for Public Service and is the first in the 2009-2010 Graham Center Public Matters Lecture Series. The discussion will be moderated by Mike Foley, assistant dean of the College of Journalism and Communications.
The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, but seating is limited.

Touted as Generation X’s answer to P.J. O’Rourke, Jonah Goldberg’s intelligent and biting conservative commentary has made him one of America’s prominent young conservatives. On the other side of the political spectrum, Peter Beinart, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, is a frequent contributor to The Washington Post and Time. Since 2008, Goldberg and Beinart have streamed their debates on Blogginheads.tv, giving perspectives from both conservative and liberal viewpoints.

“We are pleased to be kicking off the Public Matters series with such high-profile speakers,” said Mike Bowen, assistant director of the Graham Center. “Since we started our public programming over two years ago, our bipartisan discussion events have been some of our liveliest and most engaging. We expect Jonah and Peter to continue that tradition.”

The 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.