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| Seymour Hersh's investigative reporting has earned every major journalism award. Image courtesy of U. of Minnesota. |
CHESTERTOWN, MD—How does a
democratic society, facing serious threats of terrorism, strike the right
balance between the government’s need for secrecy and the public’s right to
know? In a special event at Washington College on Monday, October 8, one of the
nation’s preeminent investigative journalists and a top security analyst who
has served in the front lines of counter-terrorism efforts will offer their
answers and perspectives.
“Secrecy, the
Media and National Security,” a conversation with Pulitzer-Prize winning New Yorker reporter Seymour Hersh and
former Deputy National Security Advisor Juan Zarate will be moderated by
Washington College president Mitchell B. Reiss. The
event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 4:30 p.m. in Decker Theater, Gibson Center for the Arts, on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue. It is
sponsored by the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs.
“This
is a special opportunity to hear true voices of experience address this complex
and important issue from different perspectives,” says President Reiss. “We
could not ask for a better expert to represent the view of journalists than the
legendary Sy Hersh. And Juan Zarate brings great insight from his years in the
thick of the battle to protect the country from an increasingly dangerous
matrix of threats.”
In a
career that spans more than five decades, Seymour M. Hersh has won dozens
of accolades and every important award in his profession, including a Pulitzer
Prize, five George Polk Awards, and two National Magazine Awards. He earned the
1970 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting with his expose of the My Lai
Massacre and its cover up during the Vietnam War. More than thirty years later,
he was uncovering abuses at Abu Ghraib prison.
Hersh
wrote his first piece for The New Yorker in 1971 and has been a regular
contributor since 1993, focusing heavily on military and security issues. He is
the author of nine books, most recently Chain
of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib, and is currently at work on a
volume about the Cheney vice-presidency.
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| Juan Zarate provides security analysis for CBS News. Image courtesy of CBS News. |
In
the George W. Bush Administration, Zarate was responsible for
developing and
overseeing implementation of the U.S. government’s counterterrorism
strategy.
He also oversaw policies related to transnational security threats, including
counter-narcotics,
maritime security and critical energy
infrastructure
protection.
Earlier, as the first Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
for
Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, Zarate expanded the Treasury
Department's powers to advance national security interests.
Mitchell
B. Reiss, a scholar in international affairs, became president of
Washington College in July 2010 after serving as Dean and Vice Provost for
International Affairs at the College of William & Mary. As Director of
the Office of Policy Planning at the U.S. State Department from 2003 to 2005,
he provided Secretary Colin L. Powell with independent strategic advice. And as the President’s Special Envoy
for the Northern Ireland Peace Process from 2003 to 2007, he led historic
progress towards ending “the Troubles.” In 1999 Reiss helped manage the
start-up and operations of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development
Organization, leading its negotiations with the North Koreans. His most recent
book is Negotiating with Evil: When to Talk to Terrorists (2010, Open
Road).
Photos courtesy of University of Minnesota and CBS News.
Photos courtesy of University of Minnesota and CBS News.
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