This is Real & Powerful

Inside the Woolsey Fire photo by Mette Lampcov

Fair Media Council’s annual event, The News Conference: Real & Powerful, will be held live and online from Jan. 26-29, 20201 via Zoom. It features an exclusive gathering of some of the best in news from around the country, engaging in open dialogue with the audience: the news consumer.

Highlights of the event include a conversation on The American Presidency with the foremost U.S. Presidential historian in the country today and best-selling author, Douglas Brinkley, taking place on Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. On Jan. 27, 11 a.m. — just a week after the Inauguration — a highlight will be an “Inside the Beltway” conversation with USA Today Washington Editor Caren Bohan. On Jan. 29 at 11 a.m., a visual storytelling session with noted Danish documentary photographer Mette Lampcov will illustrate everyday climate change and, in particular, offer an inside look at the Woolsey Fire and others burning through California in the last few years and how that affects us all.

“What makes the conference important is not only the opportunity to hear firsthand from the people covering history in the making and gaining a better understanding of current events but the chance to ask questions and drive the conversations so they are real, relevant and powerful,” said Fair Media Council CEO and Executive Director Jaci Clement. “Pivoting to an online format, which was necessary due to COVID19, has opened the door for us to bring together some of the best in the country to talk exclusively with Long Islanders.”

From the presidency to politics to the pandemic, intimate one-on-one conversations will be balanced with spirited panel discussions featuring journalists from Long Island, the New York metro area and across the nation.

A look at the importance of local news and how it impacts the national conversation will kick off the online conference. This panel features one of the first radio reporters, KTOK’s Carrie Husley Greene, on the scene of the Oklahoma City bombing and a major act of domestic terrorism; WABC-TV’s NJ Burkett, who has covered multiple major issues from Long Island’s backyard and is best known for his Sept. 11 coverage, and Brianne Pfannenstiel, chief political reporter for The Des Moines Register and a co-moderator of the seventh Democratic debate along with Wolf Blitzer.

Why so Americans distrust news and, in particular, coverage of the pandemic is a panel featuring Bloomberg News’ Health and Science Senior Editor Reg Gale. Why we can’t seem to get enough political news will be the issue debated with Time Magazine National Political Correspondent Molly Ball. A 2021 News Forecast includes insights from Business Insider’s Senior Washington Correspondent Dave Levinthal. A deep dive into New York politics includes The Daily Beast Senior Editor Harry Siegel and Newsday Albany Bureau Chief Yancey Roy.

With panel discussions on national news providing perspective, other panels offer insight into Long Island hyperlocal and New York metro regional news. As always, a crisis management panel discussion is on the agenda, aptly titled “Surviving the Dumpster Fire.”

To see the program, speakers, get all-access tickets or one-day-only tickets, and to secure sponsorships for exposure and visibility, head over to the conference pageat www.fairmediacouncil.org.

The News Conference: Real & Powerful is brought to you, in part, by Northwell Health, Mount Sinai South Nassau, St. Joseph’s College, Hofstra University, Henry Schein, The Bartol Law Firm, Infinity Relations, Synchronicity Planning & Communications and WSHU Public Radio.

ABOUT FAIR MEDIA COUNCIL

The Fair Media Council is a 501c3 nonprofit organization advocating for quality news and working to create a media-savvy society. Contact Fair Media Council at info@fairmediacouncil or 516-224-1860. ext. 1 .