David Folkenflik, a media correspondent for National Public Radio, will deliver the keynote address at the 14th Oppenheimer Ethics Symposium on April 13 in the courtroom of the Menard Law Building in Moscow, according to an April 14 announcement. The event is free and open to the public.
The symposium aims to highlight ongoing concerns about freedom of speech and ethical practices in modern journalism. Folkenflik’s talk, titled “Full Court Press: The Upending of the Modern Media,” will focus on how external pressures are affecting media organizations’ ability to investigate and report stories.
“Across the media landscape, we’re seeing new pressures placed on media organizations and how they investigate, report and critique those in power,” said Robin Johnson, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Media. “David’s approach to covering recent major media stories — from the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger to newsroom cuts at The Washington Post to the enforcement of the Federal Communications Commission’s equal time rule — consistently reflects an objective, ethical approach to reporting complex issues.”
In addition to his keynote speech, Folkenflik will visit classes within the School of Journalism and Mass Media and meet with students. He plans to discuss ethical challenges reporters face as well as share insights from his career spanning both print and broadcast newsrooms. “This is an excellent opportunity for our students and the university community to learn more about what’s happening in the media landscape and why it matters from one of the country’s best media correspondents,” Johnson said.
Folkenflik joined NPR in 2004 after working more than a decade at The Baltimore Sun. His work appears across NPR programs such as All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Here & Now, as well as online platforms. He has won five Arthur Rowse Awards for Press Criticism from the National Press Club along with other honors including a 2018 Ethics in Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
The Oppenheimer Ethics Symposium has been held since 2011 by University of Idaho’s School of Journalism and Mass Media together with its College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences. Its purpose is promoting professional responsibility among journalists by bringing leading professionals like Folkenflik onto campus.
