LIVE from the NYPL Presents a Symposium on Politics and Propaganda

MEDIA ADVISORY/PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

NEW YORK—On Wednesday, November 7, a major public conference will feature philanthropist George Soros; political consultants Frank Luntz, George Lakoff, and Drew Westen; New York Times media critic Alessandra Stanley; journalists Nicholas Lemann and Orville Schell; and FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps, along with other influential commentators in a daylong series of panels and debates titled “There You Go Again: Orwell Comes to America.”

Kicking off a hotly contested campaign year, the discussion will address the corrosion of public dialogue and the widening gulf between truth and politics in America, and what can be done about it. Taking inspiration from the work of George Orwell, whose influential essay “Politics and the English Language,” appeared some sixty years ago, the panelists will explore the history and present practice of political propaganda and discuss the latest developments in political communication and manipulation. They will also address the role of the media and consider whether it is promoting an honest public debate.

The event will be presented by LIVE at the New York Public Library in collaboration with three leading journalism schools, the University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, and the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication, with support from the Open Society Institute. Current and former deans of the participating journalism schools will moderate the discussions.

What: A day of debates on politics and propaganda

Who: George Soros, Frank Luntz, George Lakoff, Drew Westen, Alessandra Stanley, Nicholas Lemann, Orville Schell, and Michael J. Copps

When: Wednesday, November 7, 2007, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Where: The New York Public Library, Celeste Bartos Forum, Fifth Avenue & 42nd Street

Additional Press Contact

Amy Weil
Open Society Institute
Aweil@sorosny.org
1-212-548-0381

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