News and Media Speakers discuss the top stories and current events of the world we live in. These news speakers educate and inform audiences, demonstrating how a free and open media can be a force for good.

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Michael Smerconish

<p>Celebrated TV personality, radio host, and longtime newspaper columnist Michael Smerconish provides a refreshingly independent and balanced perspective to the world of political commentary and current affairs. </p><p>Michael Smerconish is on a mission to restore civility and compromise to our public discourse. For three decades he’s had a front-row seat to the increase in polarization that has gripped the nation.

Ari Fleischer

<p>A political communications expert who served in the White House and Congress, Ari Fleischer provides an in-depth look at the Biden Administration, the 2024 elections, foreign policy, and the failures of the mainstream media. </p><p>As former White House press secretary, Ari Fleischer was the primary spokesperson for President George W. Bush and delivered the daily White House press briefings from 2001 to 2003.

Geoff Bennett

<p>Drawing from his experience breaking era-defining news for the nation’s leading media outlets, award-winning political correspondent Geoff Bennett brings audiences essential insider information on politics and public affairs.</p><p>An acclaimed and nationally recognized journalist, Geoff Bennett has reported from the White House under three presidents, covered five presidential elections, and his exclusive interviews with many of Washington, D.C.’s most influential figures have grabbed national headlines.</p><p>Prior to becoming PBS <em>NewsHour</em

Alissa Quart

<p>Acclaimed journalist Alissa Quart speaks on topics like poverty, economic inequality, and the myth of the “American Dream.” </p><p>Alissa Quart is the author of five acclaimed books of nonfiction, including <em>Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream </em>(Ecco, 2023). The others are <em>Squeezed</em>,<em> Republic of Outsiders</em>,<em> Hothouse Kids</em>, and <em>Branded</em>.

Andrea Bernstein

<p>An award-winning journalist constantly in demand for her comprehensive coverage of Trump and the future of democracy, Andrea Bernstein is the<strong style="font-size: 12pt;"> </strong><em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of<strong style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><em> </em></strong><em>American Oligarchs: The Kushners, the Trumps and the Marriage of Money and Power.</em></p><p>Bernstein most recently reported and co-hosted with Ilya Marritz the acclaimed podca

Neal Katyal

<p>A former Acting Solicitor General of the United States and the only minority attorney to have argued as many as 45 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, Neal Katal shares fascinating stories about the inner workings of the nation’s highest court and offers penetrating insights on the constitutional principles and decisions that have shaped our modern democracy.</p><p>Neal Katyal runs one of the world’s largest Supreme Court practices at a firm where he occupies the role formerly held by now Chief Justice John Roberts.

John Harwood

<p>An award-winning journalist who has covered the White House and national politics for America’s most prestigious news organizations, John Harwood gives audiences his deeply respected, nonpartisan take on the 2024 elections, politics and the economy.</p><p>For more than three decades, John Harwood has been one of the most instantly recognizable faces and one of the most trusted voices in journalism, reporting for the most iconic American news media, including the <em>Wall Street Journal</em>, <em>The New York Times</em>, CNBC, CNN, PBS and NPR.&lt

Maria Ressa

<p>Maria Ressa is an award-winning journalist and the co-founder, CEO of Rappler.com, an online news organization in the Philippines.</p><p>Maria’s courage and work on disinformation and ‘fake news’ culminated in being awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.” Her numerous awards include being named <em>Time’s </em>2018 Person of the Year and listed among its 100 Most Influential People of 2019.</p><p>Maria advises organizations and

Caitlin Dickerson

<p>Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Peabody Award, and Edward R. Murrow Award, Caitlin Dickerson engages audiences on the power of journalism as a check against systemic inequality, telling stories of remarkable resilience and hope from the front lines of the world’s refugee crisis.</p><p>From Ukraine to Romania to Guatemala, Caitlin Dickerson has spent years covering people forced to live on the move for some of the nation’s foremost news outlets.