History, Journalism and the Public Sphere

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Sewell Chan, deputy op-ed editor at The New York Times since 2011, will be the featured speaker in a panel discussion on the ways historians and journalists can work together to bring history to the public on Monday, Oct. 29, at Northwestern University.

The program, “History, Journalism and the Public Sphere,” will take place at noon in the Leopold Room, Room 108 of Harris Hall, 1881 Sheridan Road, on the University’s Evanston campus. It is free and open to the public.

Joining Chan will be Northwestern historian Deborah Cohen and Medill Assistant Professor Lawrence Stuelpnagel. A historian of modern Britain and Europe, Cohen has written for popular media. Stuelpnagel is an expert in broadcast and multimedia reporting.

Geraldo Cadava, assistant professor of history, will moderate the discussion covering the “nuts and bolts” of writing opinion pieces; the best ways historians can convey history’s nuances and complexity; and strategies journalists can use to acquire the historical information and context they need to write their stories.

Chan was the founding bureau chief of City Room, a New York Times’ local news blog, and received the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism. Cohen is the Ritzma Professor of the Humanities and professor of history at Northwestern. Stuelpnagel holds a faculty appointment in political science in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences.

“History, Journalism and the Public Sphere” is co-sponsored by the Chabraja Center for Historical Studies with the Office of the Provost; Medill; and Weinberg’s department of history and Asian American Studies Program. For further information, visit http://www.historicalstudies.northwestern.edu/events.htm or call (847) 467-0885.