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| Politics and the Press: Empowering and Trusting the Fourth Estate |
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Sunday, March 14 at 7 p.m.
How do political objectives depend on or threaten journalistic integrity? Historically, how truthful are U.S. presidents and members of Congress? How can the Press help to assure the integrity of our political leaders and institutions? For an examination of these timely questions, we'll turn to W&L politics professor Brian Alexander, former Congressional Fellow; Tom Mattesky '74, veteran journalist and former deputy bureau chief of the DC office of CBS News; and Mary Kate Cary, senior fellow for presidential studies at the University of Virginia's Miller Center and a former White House speechwriter for President George H. W. Bush. |
| This session is a Zoom webinar. You will receive a link to join the webinar after registering. We are asking that you submit questions beforehand through the registration page. |
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Brian Alexander |
| Brian Alexander is an Assistant Professor of Politics at Washington and Lee University, where he teaches courses in U.S. government and international relations, combining nearly twenty years professional experience in government and politics with research and academic study. Alexander's research is focused on the U.S. Congress and areas such as legislative norms, parliamentary procedure, and bicameral relations. |
| Prior to joining the faculty at W&L, Alexander was an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow (2015-2016) in the office of U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) where his portfolio included energy, environment, and infrastructure. To his teaching and research he brings extensive professional experience including work in public policy nonprofits on issues such as nuclear nonproliferation and alternatives to force, US-Cuba relations, immigration and Latino politics, and environmental conservation. As a management consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton and other firms, Alexander served Federal agency clients including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Treasury, and Commerce. He completed his Ph. D. in political science at George Mason University in 2015, and holds a Master's degree from the University of Cincinnati and a Bachelor of Philosophy from the School of Interdisciplinary studies at Miami University. |
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Tom Mattesky '74 |
| Tom Mattesky is a veteran journalist with more than three decades of experience as a reporter, producer and network news executive. Mattesky joined CBS News as a producer in 1985 after an award-winning career at local newsrooms in Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina. During his 22 years at CBS News, Mattesky was assigned to some of the network's more prominent beats including the White House. His assignments took him to more than 40 countries. From 1995 until his retirement in 2007, Mattesky was the Washington deputy bureau chief for CBS News. In that capacity, he managed the day-to-day news gathering efforts of the network's largest bureau. After his retirement and prior to joining the faculty at Georgetown, Mattesky served as the Reynolds Distinguished Visiting Professor of Journalism at W&L. Mattesky's awards include an Emmy for investigative reporting presented for a series of stories about problems with the nation's medical helicopter fleet. |
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Mary Kate Cary |
| Mary Kate Cary served as a White House speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush from 1989 to early 1992, helping to write over 100 Presidential addresses by him. A professional speechwriter specializing in strategic communications, Cary continues to write for a variety of national political, corporate and nonprofit leaders. Her assignments have included State of the Union responses, Republican National Convention addresses, and TED talks. |
| Currently an adjunct professor in the University of Virginia's Department of Politics, Cary teaches classes on political speechwriting; the greatest American political speeches; and the 2020 presidential election. Since 2017, she has been a Senior Fellow for Presidential Studies at UVA's Miller Center. In 2014, she was the creator and executive producer of "41ON41," a documentary in which 41 extraordinary storytellers shared their best stories about President Bush 41. The film premiered internationally on CNN. From 2009 to 2017, Cary was a contributing editor at U.S. News & World Report, writing a biweekly column on politics. Her columns often appeared on Real Clear Politics and she is a regular political analyst on National Public Radio. In 2017, she co-founded and hosted the political podcast "Bipodisan." Cary holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Virginia. |
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