Date: Apr 15, 2010

Panel featuring National Public Radio senior host Robert Siegel to examine media coverage of the Obama Administration

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY -  A panel of top-flight journalists and political analysts will dissect media coverage of President Obama on Thursday, April 22, 2010, 11:10 a.m.-12:35 p.m. in 246 East Library Wing, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, South Campus.

"What's News? Evaluating Media Coverage of the Obama Administration" will feature Robert Siegel, senior host of NPR's evening newmagazine, All Things Considered, Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, and Hofstra's two senior presidential fellows, former Democratic presidential candidate Howard B. Dean III and noted Republican strategist Edward J. Rollins.

The panel will examine media coverage of Obama during the first 100 days of his presidency, and discuss how that coverage has changed in recent months as the flush of his historic victory gave way to rising unemployment, battles over health care reform, and the Democrats' loss of their super-majority in the U.S. Senate.

The event is jointly sponsored by the Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, the Department of Journalism, Media Studies and Public Relations, and Hofstra Cultural Center. The discussion will be moderated by Meena Bose, director of the Kalikow Center, and Bob Papper, chairman of the Department of Journalism, Media Studies and Public Relations.

The panelists:

Robert Siegel, a senior host of NPR's award-winning evening newsmagazine All Things Considered, joined the program in 1987. As a host, Siegel has reported from Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Israel. He now concentrates on domestic stories. During the fall of 1992, Siegel took a short leave from the show to anchor Talk of the Nation, NPR's nationwide live call-in program. Before joining All Things Considered, Siegel served for four years as director of NPR's News and Information Department, overseeing production of NPR's newsmagazines All Things Considered and Morning Edition, as well as special events and other news programming. Siegel joined NPR in December 1976 as an associate producer, and was appointed public affairs editor in 1977 and senior editor in 1978. In 1979, Siegel was chosen to open NPR's London bureau, where he worked as senior editor until 1983.

Tom Rosenstiel is the founder and director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism. He is the former executive director and current vice chairman of the Committee of Concerned Journalists, an initiative engaged in conducting a national conversation among journalists about standards and values. A journalist for more than 20 years, he is a former media critic for the Los Angeles Times and former chief congressional correspondent for Newsweek magazine. He is the editor and principal author of PEJ's Annual Report on the State of the News Media, a comprehensive report on the health of American journalism. He is the author of five books, winner of the 2002 Goldsmith Book Prize from Harvard University, the Society of Professional Journalist Sigma Delta Chi award for research in journalism and the Bart Richards Award for Media Criticism from Penn State. A former media critic for MSNBC's The News With Brian Williams, he is a frequent commentator on radio and television and in print.

Governor Howard B. Dean III  is a former Democratic National Committee Chairman (2005-2009), Democratic presidential candidate, six-term governor of Vermont and physician. He works as an independent consultant focusing on the areas of health care, early childhood development, alternative energy and expansion of grassroots politics around the world. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of the Progressive Book Club, is a CNBC contribution and founder of Democracy for America. Dean began his career in public service in 1982, and has served as chairman of the National Governors' Association and the New England Governors' Conference. He left the governor's office in 2003 to launch his presidential campaign, during which he launched innovative fundraising strategies, including use of the Internet. In September 2009, he became a senior presidential fellow at Hofstra's Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency.

Edward J. Rollins has long been considered one of America's premier political strategists and communication experts. He managed President Ronald Reagan's 49 state landslide reelection campaign in 1984. President, and has had major managerial roles in eight other Presidential campaigns including most recently serving as National Chairman of the Huckabee for President Campaign in 2008. Mr. Rollins has served in the administrations of four United States Presidents (Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Bush; 41) including serving two tours of duty at the highest level of the White House as Assistant to the President. He directed both the White House Office of Political Affairs and the White Office of Intergovernmental Affairs for President Reagan. He was also President Reagan's Deputy Chief of Staff in the second term. Rollins is a Senior Political analyst for CNN news. In September 2009, he became a senior presidential fellow at Hofstra's Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from about 150 undergraduate and more than 160 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business; engineering; communication; education, health and human services;  and honors studies, as well as a School of Law. The University also provides excellent facilities with state-of-the-art technology, extensive library resources and internship programs that match students' interests and abilities with appropriate companies and organizations.  The Hofstra community is driven, dynamic and energetic, helping students find and focus their strengths to prepare them for a successful future.
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