Sewell Chan
Two of the more significant and debated issues of contemporary American life—the future of media and the role of higher education-- are the focus of three upcoming programs at the Highlands-Cashiers Center for Life Enrichment (CLE).
Sewell Chan, Senior Fellow at the University of Southern California Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, and former journalist, reporter, and editor for The Washington Post and The New York Times, will lead two timely lectures.
On Friday, July 11, he will present “The Press and the Trump Administration,” a nonpartisan talk highlighting the Trump administration’s fraught relationship with the press, including changes in access to White House briefings, the dismantling of Voice of America, and proposals to defund PBS, NPR and public television and radio broadcasters. Chan will discuss the President’s use of lawsuits against news organizations such as ABC, CBS, and the Des Moines Register, as well as the subpoenaing of journalists. Additionally, he will address the administration’s use of social media against reporters, and the changing role of traditional media sources vs. alternative media like X and Truth Social.
Chan’s second talk on Monday, July 14, “The Collapse of Trust in News — and How to Win it Back,” will examine why trust in the press has eroded — a process that began before the Internet but was accelerated by it —and why so many people view the media as biased. Chan will discuss why it’s unlikely that trust in a small number of national news outlets can be restored. He’ll also survey the rise and impact of community nonprofit and charitable-supported news gathering as one of the bright spots of journalism in America today as an important tool of democracy.
On Tuesday July 15, former U.S. Secretary of Education under President George W. Bush, Margaret Spellings, and Thomas W. Ross, the President Emeritus of the University of North Carolina, will examine a wide range of critical issues facing higher education today in their presentation, “Higher Education in the Political Cross Hairs.” Is a college degree still a reliable path to success in life? What is the impact of eliminating the U.S. Department of Education? What about political interference in academic governance, restricting curriculum content, bias in hiring and promotion, elimination of affirmative action and related DEI initiatives, transgender participation in sports, free speech and “cancel culture?”
All three programs will take place at the CLE Lecture Hall in the Peggy Crosby Center. For more information on presenters, pricing, program times, and registration, please call (828) 526-8811, or visit www.clehighlands.com.
- Terry Adamson
CLE Board Member