The University of Utah is inviting BYU students to attend their annual Siciliano forum.
For the last 15 years, the University of Utah has held a yearly Siciliano forum. Racco C. and Marion S. Siciliano have donated money every year to put on this event.
This year’s forum is facilitated by the Hinckley Institute of Politics and will be Oct. 24-28 at the Marriott Library Gould Auditorium, the Tower Theater and the Hinckley Institute of Politics Caucus room on the university’s campus. This year’s topic is “Considerations on the Status of the American Society.” The forum will examine “The Future of Journalism.”
“This year we have decided to focus on the future of journalism and how it is changing,” said Rochelle Parker, communication and outreach coordinator for the Hinckley Institute of Politics. “Journalism plays an important role in our democracy, and it is a topic that has to do with issues in American society.”
“The Future of Journalism” was picked as a topic because of the changes in the field of journalism. With newsrooms downsizing and online media booming, the future of journalism is unclear. Some print journalism outlets have struggled to make a profit in recent years. This year’s forum highlights the importance of print journalism and the role it plays in society.
With this focus in mind, there will be many events over the four days addressing the direction print journalism is headed. There will be several panel discussions, a documentary screening of the Sundance Film Festival movie “Page One: Inside the New York Times,” an interview with the director of the film, panels about how journalist leaders are adapting to changes in the industry and many speakers on the journalism theme.
“It is a really exciting event,” said Taylor Morgan, program manager for the Hinckley Institute of Politics. “New media and social media are affecting journalism, and we have seen major transitions being made with newspapers making adjustments to this new media. Big changes are in store.”
The highlight of the forum is the keynote speaker, Marty Tolchin, who will speak at 12:30 p.m. Thursday in the Marriott Library Gould Auditorium. Tolchin will speak on the topic “Bigger, Better, Bolder — Some Unconventional Thoughts on the Future of Journalism.”
Tolchin was a reporter for the New York Times for more than 40 years. He is the co-founder of The Hill, a newspaper for Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. He also is the founder of Politico, a paper that has taken a different approach to the changes in print: investing more money, rather than taking away funding.
“Politico has poured a lot of money to get to the top in the hopes that it will take off,” Parker said.
Because of his extensive experience in the world of journalism, Tolchin is qualified to inform and give insight to fellow journalists.
The event is free and open to the public. Students from all campuses are invited to attend any of the speakers or events occurring in the four-day forum.
“We encourage all students and the local community to attend,” Parker said. “This forum is a big deal every year at the University of Utah.”
