Meet the Press

Sybril Bennett, assistant professor of journalism and executive director of Belmont University’s New Century Journalism Program, will be a panelist at a free forum this week at which public and press will meet to discuss issues of media balance and bias. “The News We Need: Finding Balance in an Age of Spin” is Thursday at Fondren Hall in the Scarritt-Bennett Center on 19th Avenue South. Nashville is one of eight cities hosting the forums, which are sponsored by Preview Forum, an initiative funded by the Ford Foundation.

“Primarily, the purpose is to get the community’s views on the vision, the voice and the value of local news,” said Bennett. “The media needs input about the stories being covered — whether the public is being served.”
“It’s a consumer-driven market,” Bennett said, pointing to the proliferation of news Web sites and blogs. “It’s a critical discussion at a critical time.”
The free forum is 6-8 p.m., after a 5 p.m. reception. More details here from The Tennessean.
Bennett also will be moderating a special panel discussion on the relationship between blogging and journalism on Friday, May 6, on the campus of Belmont University, as part of the BlogNashville conference. That panel will feature Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit.com, new-media guru J.D. Lasica, Rocky Mountain News columnist Linda Seebach and Belmont University media relations specialist and blogging coach Bill Hobbs. That event is scheduled for 7-8:30 p.m. in the Massey Performing Arts Center on campus.