Buffalo & Erie County Central Library (1 Lafayette Sq. – map) | 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Join us for the full festival day as we reflect on how residents of WNY can support the vital, fact-based research and investigative reporting necessary for maintaining collective life in our neighborhoods, cities, and other experiments in democracy. The day includes talks, roundtables, workshops, and opportunities to connect with like-minded lovers of the arts and humanities.

See the line-up of breaking news presenters >>>

Schedule

(subject to change)

9:30 a.m. | Registration/Check-in Open

10:00 a.m. | Welcome

10:15 a.m. | Session 1

Roundtable: Local Journalism [Central Meeting Room – 2nd Floor]

11:30 a.m. | Break

11:40 a.m. | Session 2

Lynching and Generic Transformation in Recent American Literature and Culture [Ring of Knowledge – 1st Floor]

Jennifer Ryan-Bryant, Professor, Department of English, Buffalo State University

Democracy, News Coverage, and Ideological Perceptions of Politicians [Gallery – 2nd Floor]

Jay Wendland, Professor, Department of Political Science, Daemen University

Remembering to Forget [Atrium Meeting Room – 2nd Floor]

Juan Carlos Zaldivar, Professor, Department of Media Study, University at Buffalo

Roundtable: Future of Journalism [Central Meeting Room, 2nd Floor]

  • Grace Cole, Managing Editor, The Record, Buffalo State University
  • Katie Dusza, Managing Editor, The Griffin, Canisius University
  • Mylien Lai, Editor-in-Chief, The Spectrum, University at Buffalo
  • Andrew Nowel, Editor-in-Chief, The Griffin, Canisius University
  • Marcus Ramos, Editor-in-Chief/President, The Record, Buffalo State University
  • Kaden Zhong, Arts Desk Editor, The Spectrum, University at Buffalo
  • Facilitator: Allison Siehnel, Assistant Teaching Professor and Director of Journalism Program, Department of English, University at Buffalo

12:50 p.m. | Lunch

1:30 p.m. | Session 3

From Margins to Center: The (D)evolution of Mainstream News Coverage of Conspiracy Theories [Ring of Knowledge – 1st Floor]

Carrie T. Isard, Associate Professor and Chair, Communication & Media Studies, Niagara University

Authoritarianism in Turkey: Understanding “Authoritarian Upgrading” [Atrium Meeting Room, 2nd Floor]

Dersu Ekim Tanca, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Director of the International Relations Program, Canisius University

When the story breaks: exploring the impact and consequences of news media [Central Meeting Room, 2nd Floor]

I’Jaz Ja’ciel, Multimedia Journalist, Buffalo Toronto Public Media

2:40 p.m. | Break

2:50 p.m. | Session 4

Title Forthcoming [Ring of Knowledge, 1st Floor]

Yini Zhang, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, University at Buffalo

Hidden from the Headlines: Food, Hunger, and Kindness Behind Bars [Atrium Meeting Room, 2nd Floor]

Veronica L. Horowitz (she/hers), Associate Professor, Department of Sociology & Criminology, University at Buffalo

Panel: Alt-Media [Central Meeting Room, 2nd Floor]

  • Christopher Fritton, Editor, Lake Rats Dispatch
  • Heather Gring, Rare Book Curator, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
  • Julie Setele (they/them), User Experience and Outreach Librarian, E. H. Butler Library, Buffalo State University

4:00 p.m. | Break

4:15 p.m. | Closing Session

The Front Line of the First Amendment [Auditorium, Lower Level]

Adam Zyglis, Editorial Cartoonist, The Buffalo News