Free Livestream, On-Demand Video 

  

Webinar Overview

The confluence of legitimate news versus phony news, plus the proliferation of nation-state and criminal cyber plots all aimed at disrupting democracy and destabilizing trusted institutions, leave journalists and communicators struggling to separate fact from fiction and maintain credibility with increasingly jaded citizens and consumers.If communications professionals can no longer trust the information we receive, how is our civil society supposed to function?Please join us  to hear our forum participants grapple with these questions and others.

• Is there such a thing as “fake news” and how do we recognize it?
• What is the extent of the threat?
• What are the business and political implications?
• What are the new rules of communications?
• How do brands manage in a post-trust environment?
• What is the role of the corporation and CEO, the CMO, the agency professional, and the journalist in this brave new world?
• What is the role of Silicon Valley and the FAANG companies who influence so much of our news?

Moderator

Mark J. RozellDeanThe Schar School of Policy and Government | George Mason University

Mark J. Rozell is the author of nine books and editor of twenty books on various topics in U.S. government and politics including the presidency, religion and politics, media and politics, and interest groups in elections. His latest books are:Catholics and U.S. Politics after the 2016 Elections: Understanding the “Swing” Vote. New York: Palgrave/MacMillan Press, 2017 (edited with Blandine Chelini-Pont and Marie Gayte).God at the Grass Roots, 2016: The Christian Right in American Elections. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017 (edited with Clyde Wilcox).Religion and the American Presidency. New York: Palgrave/MacMillan Press, 2017 (revised and updated 3rd edition) (edited with Gleaves Whitney).The New Politics of the Old South: An Introduction to Southern Politics (revised and updated sixth edition). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017 (edited with Charles S. Bullock III).The President’s Czars: Undermining Congress and the Constitution. University Press of Kansas, 2012 (with Mitchel A. Sollenberger).The Oxford Handbook of Southern Politics. Oxford University Press, 2012 (edited with Charles S. Bullock III).Interest Groups in American Campaigns: The New Face of Electioneering (3rd edition). Oxford University Press, 2012 (with Michael Franz and Clyde Wilcox).Executive Privilege: Presidential Power, Secrecy and Accountability (3rd edition). University Press of Kansas, 2010.He has testified before Congress on several occasions on executive privilege issues and has lectured extensively in the U.S. and abroad. In recent years he has lectured in Austria, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, and Vietnam.Dean Rozell writes frequent op-ed columns in such publications as the Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, New York Daily News, and Politico. He is often asked to comment about his areas of expertise for print and broadcast media. He may be reached at mrozell@gmu.edu or 703-993-8171.

​Panel

Richard LevickCEOLEVICK

Under his leadership, LEVICK has set new standards in global communications and brand protection for corporations, countries, and major institutions. Mr. Levick is one of the communications industry’s most important spokespersons and thought leaders.A powerful advocate for the strategic initiatives that companies must pursue in today’s perilous environment, he regularly addresses corporate boards as well as industry and government leaders around the world, providing guidance on their most complex communications and reputation management challenges. He is featured in, and authors, countless articles, and is a frequent guest on prime time national and international television programs.Mr. Levick is a much-sought after keynote and graduation speaker and is a columnist for the top business blogs including Forbes.Mr. Levick has co-authored five books including, The Communicators: Leadership in the Age of Crisis; Stop the Presses; The Crisis and Litigation PR Desk Reference; 365 Marketing Meditations; and Lessons for Absent Children.  

Carol E. LeeNational Political ReporterNBC News

Carol E. Lee is a national political reporter for NBC News.  She previously covered the White House for The Wall Street Journal where she was responsible for the Journal’s White House coverage, including politics, foreign affairs and domestic policy issues. She also served as president of the White House Correspondents' Association, after serving on its board since 2010.She also appears regularly on television and radio, including CNN, MSNBC, NPR and Sirius XM, as a commentator with insight on the White House.She has covered the White House since October 2008. She joined the Journal as White House Correspondent in 2011. Previously, she covered the White House for Politico, starting with President Obama’s transition in Chicago.Ms. Lee moved to Washington after covering politics in Florida for three years, including the 2008 presidential campaign.She is a graduate of New York University's school of journalism and lives in Washington with her son, Hudson.  

Ray LockerWashington Enterprise EditorUSA Today

Ray Locker is the Washington enterprise editor for USA TODAY, where he supervises the reporters who cover the White House, Pentagon, health care and money in politics. He also coordinates much of investigative work in the organization’s Washington bureau. He has also been the paper’s White House and politics editor and national security editor in the 12 years since joining USA TODAY in 2005. He is the author of Nixon’s Gamble: How a President’s Own Secret Government Destroyed His Administration, which was published in 2015, and the upcoming Haig’s Coup, to be released next year. Before joining USA TODAY, he ran the Associated Press bureau in Sacramento and was an editor and reporter at the Los Angeles Times, Tampa Tribune and Montgomery Advertiser. He and his family live in North Bethesda, Md.   

Sam SteinPolitics EditorThe Daily Beast

Sam Stein is the Politics Editor at The Daily Beast, based in Washington, D.C. Previously he served as Politics Editor for the Huffington Post and has worked for Newsweek magazine, the New York Daily News and the investigative journalism group Center for Public Integrity. He is a regular guest and contributor to MSNBC. He has a masters from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is a graduate of Dartmouth College.    

Jackie CalmesWhite House EditorLos Angeles Times

Jackie Calmes is the White House editor for the Los Angeles Times Washington bureau.Calmes joined the LA Times from The New York Times where she worked as a national correspondent covering the 2014 midterm elections. She joined the Times in August 2008, and was a White House correspondent. Previously she had been chief political correspondent for The Wall Street Journal's Washington bureau. During her 18 years at The Wall Street Journal, Ms. Calmes covered the White House and Congress, focusing mostly on budget and tax legislation, and also reported on congressional and presidential election campaigns as well as issues confronting state and local governments.From mid-1997 to mid-1999, she was one of the Journal's two White House correspondents, and in 1999-2000, she covered national politics and the Bush campaign. After the 2000 presidential recount, she covered election reform and politics, and in June 2001, she became a news editor for the Journal's "Politics and Policy" page, and took over as writer and a reporter of the well-known "Washington Wire" column in Friday's Journal. She returned to full-time reporting in late 2002, and through 2004 was again a White House correspondent.In May 2005, Ms. Calmes was awarded the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize for Reporting on the Presidency.Ms. Calmes began her journalism career in 1978 at the Abilene (Texas) Reporter-News. In 1979, she went to the Austin, Texas, capital bureau of Harte-Hanks Newspapers and in 1981 joined the Austin bureau of the Dallas Morning News. She worked for the Congressional Quarterly from 1984 until 1990, except for 1988 when she worked in the Washington  bureau of the Atlanta Constitution and Cox Newspapers Inc.A native of Toledo, Ohio, Ms. Calmes earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Toledo and a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University. She is most proud of her two daughters, Sarah and Carrie, neither of whom wants to be a journalist.  

Bruce P. MehlmanFounderMehlman, Castagnetti, Rosen & Thomas

With over two decades experience in public policy, business and the law, Bruce helps clients understand, anticipate and navigate the public policy environment through the bipartisan public affairs company he founded, Mehlman Castagnetti.  Bruce is widely-regarded as an expert in running coalitions, quarterbacking issue campaigns and managing C-suite associations, bringing innovative approaches and relentless execution to achieve impactful outcomes.Bruce is a frequent op-ed writer and highly sought after speaker on policy and political trends, regularly keynoting business conferences and strategic planning sessions.  He concurrently runs the Technology CEO Council and serves as founding co-chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance.Bruce previously served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Technology Policy, having been nominated by President Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in May 2001.  He also worked as a senior leadership aide in the House of Representatives and as general counsel to a national political party committee.Recognized as one of Washington’s “top lobbyists” by Washingtonian Magazine and The Hill newspaper, Bruce also serves on the advisory boards of start-up companies FiscalNote, iHealth Engines and Market Realist.  An Adjunct Professor and Board Member of The Washington Campus, Bruce teaches Executive MBA students “the business of government relations.”Bruce received a BA degree from Princeton University and a JD from the University of Virginia Law School where he served on the Virginia Law Review.  He lives with his wife and 3 children in Maryland.

A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors