Ithaca College

A series of addresses, roundtables, public forums, discussions, and mentoring sessions are slated for the visit of Charles Benton, chair of Public Media Inc and chair of the Benton Foundation.

The event is part of the Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies' Engaging Democracy series. The Benton Foundation is one of the leading media advocacy and policy think tanks.

Benton will be joined by Jim Kohlenberger, former domestic policy adviser for President Clinton, and Kevin Taglang, director of research, Benton Foundation. In addition, lawyers who argued the recent Prometheus vs. the FCC case as well as representatives from the lobbying groups Common Cause and the Free Press will participate in sessions via conference call.

9:25-10:40 am -- Government and Media class, Park 281
Guest: Andy Schwartzman and the Prometheus vs. FCC case via conference call

2:35-5:15 pm -- Public forum: "Too Big, Too Little: Media and Policy," Park Auditorium. Participants: Charles Benton, Kevin Taglang, Wenmouth Williams (TVR), Barbara Morgenstern (TVR), Gwen Seaquist (legal studies/business), and Simon Tarr (cinema and photography).

7:00-8:30 pm -- Public address "Where's the Public? Media Policy in the Digital Age." Charles Benton, with Jim Kohlenberger as a respondent

8:00-10:00 am -- "Stories from Inside the Beltway," a mentoring conversation about careers and opportunities in telecommunications public policy. Park 220
Charles Benton, Jim Kohlenberger, and Kevin Taglang

2:00-3:00 pm -- Public Advocacy and Communications. Park 220
Charles Benton, Jim Kohlenberger, and Kevin Taglang, conference call with Common Cause and Free Press directors of outreach and advocacy

5:00-6:30 pm -- Roundtable discussion: "What's Next? Organizing to Put the Public Back in Media Policy," Klingenstein Lounge

For further information on the events, contact Patricia R. Zimmermann.
For further information on the Benton Foundation, see Benton Foundation

Contributed by Patricia R. Zimmermann