Democracy in the Balance

The Wisconsin Exchange and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication present:

Democracy in the Balance: The Essential Role of Journalism in Advancing Civil Discourse

Join distinguished journalist and media executive Andy Lack and School of Journalism & Mass Communication Director, Kathleen Bartzen Culver, for a timely conversation on journalism’s essential role in sustaining democracy. Drawing on Lack’s decades-long career at the highest levels of American media—including serving as Chairman and CEO of NBC News, leading Bloomberg Media Group, and producing investigative reporting for CBS News’ 60 Minutes during its heyday—the discussion will explore why the “Fourth Estate” remains as vital as ever in holding truth to power and how it impacts civil discourse.

Presented as part of the Wisconsin Exchange: Pluralism in Practice, this event invites students, faculty and members of the campus and broader community to explore how strong, independent journalism is a critical pillar of pluralism and civic engagement.

Lack will discuss his Emmy-nominated PBS series, Breaking the Deadlock, which convenes voices from across the public sphere to confront real-world challenges and model constructive, civil dialogue. The conversation will also highlight Lack’s more recent work founding the nonprofit newsroom Mississippi Today, which won a Pulitzer Prize just a few years after its launch and has since expanded into Deep South Today, bringing rigorous reporting to some of the nation’s most challenging news deserts.

The aim of the Wisconsin Exchange: Pluralism in Practice is to advance pluralism and civil dialogue at UW–Madison by cultivating a community where diverse viewpoints are expected, debated, and respected. This event is co-sponsored with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Program

5 p.m. – Andy Lack & Kathleen Bartzen Culver in conversation

6 p.m. – Networking reception

Journalist, television and film producer, and media executive Andrew Lack is a 16-time Emmy award recipient and four-time Peabody award winner. During his 15-year leadership as chairman and CEO, NBC News became the most watched news organization in the world. He is currently senior executive producer for Breaking the Deadlock, a six-hour special series airing on the American Public Broadcasting Service. He is also executive chairman and founder of digital-first local investigative news organization Mississippi Today, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2023 and has since expanded into Deep South Today, a network of nonprofit, nonpartisan local newsrooms in Louisiana and Mississippi.Lack served as the first CEO and director of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, overseeing Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, and was CEO of the Bloomberg Media Group and chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment between 2003 and 2015. In 1996, he co-founded MSNBC, a groundbreaking cable news and digital partnership between Microsoft and NBC. He began his career at CBS News as a producer for 60 Minutes and long-form CBS Reports specials and documentaries.

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