Miami Herald Editor Headlines Florida Tech Free Speech Week Feb. 17-21

Photojournalism Workshop, Pulitzer Discussion
Among Other Events

MELBOURNE, FLA. — Casey Frank, the investigations editor who led the Miami Herald’s coverage of the financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, will offer the keynote address on Feb. 19 as part of the annual Free Speech Week convened by Florida Tech and its student-run newspaper, The Crimson.

Held Feb. 17-21 on the Florida Tech campus in Melbourne, Free Speech Week features lectures, events and activities centered on and designed to help foster a better understanding of the First Amendment and the value of journalism.

Frank, who worked closely with reporter Julie K. Brown on her award-winning work, will speak at 5:30 p.m. in the Hartley Room on the second floor of the Denius Student Center. The event, like all of the Free Speech Week activities, is free and open to the public.

Another special event will be a panel discussion with the Pulitzer Prize-winning team from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, where they’ll describe their coverage of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting.

Here’s the full schedule:

Monday, Feb. 17:

• 1 to 3 p.m., Panther Plaza: “Free Speech, Free Press, Free Cookies.” The Crimson staff will host a free-speech wall where students, faculty, staff and visitors may freely express themselves by writing whatever they want on the wall. In return, writers will receive a cookie.

Tuesday, Feb. 18:

• 5:30 p.m., Link Room, Evans Library: Photojournalism workshop. Photographers from Florida Today will share their favorite photos, give tips and critique photos.

Wednesday, Feb. 19:

• 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Crawford Building lawn: “Live free or eat free.” Students will get to experience life without the First Amendment. They will receive a free meal – a slice from Old School Pizza or a sub sandwich – in exchange for their First Amendment rights.

• 5:30 p.m.: Hartley Room, Casey Frank keynote address.

Thursday, Feb. 20:

• 5:30 p.m., Olin Engineering Complex, Room 118: Pulitzer Prize panel. Randy Roguski, metro editor at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and his team will talk about their coverage of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, which won journalism’s highest award.

Friday, Feb. 21:

• 1 to 2 p.m., Olin Engineering Complex, Room 118: Space journalism panel. Florida Today’s space team – reporters Antonia Jaramillo, Rachael Joy and Emre Kelly, and editor John McCarthy – are scheduled to talk about what’s ahead in their coverage of the Space Coast’s iconic industry. 

“Local journalists all over the nation are holding government officials accountable and looking out for society’s most vulnerable,” said Ted Petersen, associate professor of journalism at Florida Tech and adviser to The Crimson. “Our Free Speech Week lineup, with speakers who covered issues like the #MeToo movement and gun violence, is sure to provide insights into the value of journalism.”

Free Speech Week is sponsored by Old School Pizza and the Florida Tech School of Arts and Communication. For more information, contact Petersen at 321-674-7201 or tpetersen@fit.edu or Crimson editor-in-chief Olivia McKelvey at crimson@fit.edu.

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