Panel to probe US. president's potential to affect press freedom by law or practice Wednesday, Oct. 12

An all-star panel of journalists and lawyers will plumb the depths of the power of a president to affect press freedom at a Wednesday Oct. 12 evening event at the National Press Club.

Sponsored by the club's Press Freedom Committee and Journalism Institute, the discussion will take place from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m, preceded by a 6 p.m. reception. Attendance is $5 for club members and $10 for the public. Tickets can be purchased here.

Both presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have come under criticism on issues of transparency and press access. However, Trump has broken new ground in warning that if elected he will "open up libel laws" to encourage more lawsuits against journalists for their independent reporting.

Threats like this raise the question of just what power a future U.S. president has to impact, by practice and through law, the free press traditions of the United States.

Panelists include:

Kenneth Jost, Author of Supreme Court Yearbook, and Adjunct Professor, The Georgetown University Law Center
Anita Kumar, White House Correspondent, McClatchy Newspapers
Adam Liptak, Supreme Court Correspondent, The New York Times
Katie Townsend, Litigation Director, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Chuck Tobin (moderator), Partner Holland, & Knight LLP

For more information, contact Rachel Oswald, Press Freedom vice chair at [email protected].