Canandaigua, N.Y. – Aug. 1, 2024 – Journalism and the role of reporters has evolved in an age of the 24-hour news cycle, social media and declining print and television media outlets.
Yet, citizens need journalists to serve as watchdogs to those in power.
How we reconcile this problem and renew a functioning journalism in the future — for the future of democracy — is the subject of the Ewing Forum’s 13th Season opening community conversation with journalist Jelani Cobb.
Cobb will take the stage at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22 at Fort Hill Performing Arts Center for the first event in the George M Ewing Canandaigua Forum’s 13th Season to discuss the importance and evolution of journalism in the U.S.
He is the Dean of Columbia’s Journalism School, political analyst at MSNBC, historian, celebrated author, and prolific educator on topics of race, politics, and hip-hop. He authored “The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress” and “To the Break of Dawn: A Freestyle on the Hip Hop Aesthetic.”
Cobb’s work as writer and editor at the New Yorker is a veritable timeline of the Black Lives Matter movement. He has also worked as producer or co-producer on numerous documentaries. He serves on the board of the American Journalism Project.
Cobb joined the Columbia Journalism School faculty in 2016 and became Dean in 2022. He has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 2015. He received a Peabody Award for his 2020 PBS Frontline film “Whose Vote Counts?” and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary in 2018. He has been a political analyst for MSNBC since 2019.
“Democracy’s Watchdogs: The essential role of journalism in society” will be moderated by Canandaigua native Michael Winship, an Emmy Award-winning writer and political commentator.
Since 2011, The George M. Ewing Canandaigua Forum has engaged people in thoughtful, stimulating, and informative discourse on intellectual and cultural topics of regional, national, and world interest. The Ewing Forum features presentations by emerging voices and leading figures, aiming to inspire community dialogue.
The 13th Season series continues with:
- Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 — 4 p.m.
“The Evolution of Truth: Navigating Disinformation in Our Democracy” with CNN correspondent and “Fact-Checker in Chief” Daniel Dale, who will offer insight on fact checking candidates in a crucial presidential election year. The talk will be moderated by Evan Dawson, host of WXXI’s “Connections with Evan Dawson,” a community news radio talk show that addresses the salient issues of the day.
- Sunday, March 2, 2025 — 4 p.m.
“The Language of Earth: Lessons from Indigenous Wisdom and the Natural World” with author, professor, scientist and member of the Potawatomi Nation, Robin Wall Kimmerer, whose most recent book “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, is a New York Times bestseller. The talk will be moderated by Trish Corcoran, who played an organizing role in Rochester’s Indigenous People’s Day and various Rochester area story-telling events.
- Sunday, April 6, 2025 — 4 p.m.
“Reflections from the Anchor Desk: A 58-Year Journey Through the News” with beloved Rochester newsman Don Alhart, recognized by Guinness World Records for having the “longest career as a television broadcaster.” Alhart retired in June 2024 and will sit down with moderator and former colleague Ginny Ryan, director of community engagement for Canandaigua National Bank and Trust, Co.
All events will be held at the Fort Hill Performing Arts Center (FHPAC), 20 Fort Hill Ave., Canandaigua. Tickets are still available for each event ($25) and for a package of 4 events ($80, use code: EwingSeries24). Student tickets are $10. To purchase tickets, visit gmeforum.org or call the FHPAC box office at (585) 412-6043. For more information visit gmeforum.org or call the Ewing Forum at (585) 313-8443.
The Ewing Forum is made possible by the support of Canandaigua National Bank & Trust, WXXI, The Ewing family and Wegmans, as well as the generous individual and business contributions of the Friends of the Forum.
Press Contact: Lisa Hubler
Email: ewingforum@gmail.com
Phone: (585) 576-0042