Media ethics focus of Nov. 6-7 symposium at Washington and Lee University

Washington and Lee University is going to host a two-day symposium on media ethics, which doesn’t seem like enough.

Seriously, just two days?

Two days seems like appetizers.

The 80th Institute on Media Ethics will feature two events open to the public on Thursday, Nov. 6, and Friday, Nov. 7.

One will feature Byron Pitts, the co-anchor of the long-running ABC News program “Nightline.” The second has University of Florida senior Garrett Shanley, whose reporting on former UF President Ben Sasse prompted the state government to launch an audit into Sasse’s office, talking about his work.

Shanley will speak on Nov. 6 at 6 p.m.; Pitts will deliver the keynote address at the symposium at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 7.

Both events, sponsored by the Knight Foundation and W&L’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, will be held in Stackhouse Theater in Elrod Commons.

Shanley’s talk will have him in conversation with Eric Deggans, W&L’s Knight Chair of Journalism and Media Ethics. Shanley won the Dan Rather Medal for News and Guts in the student media category, an honor bestowed by the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Texas, for his reporting on Sasse, a former U.S. senator.

Shanley’s reporting uncovered that spending in Sasse’s office had tripled in his brief 17-month tenure, as the MAGA former senator steered lucrative contracts to political allies who worked remotely outside the state.

As an intern at the Chronicle of Higher Education, Shanley broke another important story about conflicts between faculty members and officials at the University of Florida over a new institute established on campus at the request of area Republicans aligned with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The story received one of the inaugural Collier Awards for Ethics in Journalism from the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University.

“Garrett is the same age and at the same stage of his academic career as a lot of journalism students here at W&L, but he’s doing national-level reporting that exceeds the work of some professionals,” said Deggans. “At a time when some schools in other states are pulling back on support of their newspapers and student journalists, it becomes even more important to highlight the quality work that journalism students can do if they are given the right resources, instruction and inspiration.”

Pitts, who was named co-anchor of “Nightline” in 2014, has covered a range of topics, including the Boston Marathon bombing, the death of Nelson Mandela, natural disasters in Kentucky and the 25th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots that followed the Rodney King verdict.

“Throughout his career, Byron has served as an example of a journalist who operates at the highest level, reporting for the most storied programs in TV news and fueled by a strong set of personal and journalistic values,” Deggans said. “I am excited to see him bring the story of how he overcame such notable challenges to become a top-tier journalist to the students at W&L and the community here in Lexington.”