Jeffrey Blount
The Center for Life Enrichment will welcome to Highlands Jeffrey Blount, an Emmy award-winning television news director and accomplished author and scriptwriter. Blount has over three decades of experience at NBC News, directing familiar programs such as Meet the Press, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, as well as major special events. He is also the author of three award-winning novels, The Emancipation of Evan Walls, Almost Snow White, and Hating Heidi Foster.
At a cocktail reception and book talk on Monday, Aug. 7 from 4 – 6 p.m., Blount will discuss his latest book, The Emancipation of Evan Walls, a thought-provoking, painful and often shocking story that gives the reader “a poignant and profound witness to the complexities and dynamics of racism, identity, and courage.” The book explores these themes through the coming-of-age story of Evan Walls, a black child growing up in 1960s Virginia. Evan is determined to take advantage of the educational opportunities that integration offers. But to do so he must navigate through his family’s resentment of his aspirations and the racism of his white classmates who are threatened by integration.
On Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 10 a.m., Blount will discuss the future of journalism in our politically polarized world as he is uniquely positioned to do based on his lengthy career in television news. In a Q & A presentation, he will touch on a wide variety of issues: the Founders’ vision of the role of the free press in a democracy, the consequences of the adoption by TV and radio of the “entertainment” business model; the common use of “both sides,” “horse-race” and “false equivalence” political coverage rather than substantive policy analysis; the role of unconscious bias, how journalists do or should cover matters of social justice and “culture war” controversies, and finally, the impact of social media on news coverage and decline in public trust of media organizations. These are critical issues the United States must address, particularly in the lead up to the 2024 Presidential election.
The Cocktail Reception and Book Talk will be held at a private residence. Cost is $70/$80 Member/Non-Member. The Journalism presentation will be held in the CLE Lecture Hall at the Peggy Crosby Center, 348 S. 5th Street, Highlands. Cost is $30/$40 Member/Non-Member. Register to attend online at www.clehighlands.com or by calling 828-526-8811.