About the National Archives

McGowan Forum on Ethics in Leadership: Ethics in Journalism

Archivist’s welcome for
McGowan Forum on Ethics in Leadership:
Ethics in Journalism

Tuesday, March 29, at 7 p.m.
McGowan Theater, Archives I

Good evening, I’m David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States. To all of you here in the McGowan Theater and those joining us on YouTube, welcome to the National Archives for the first McGowan Forum on Ethics in Leadership.

For the past decade, the National Archives has hosted two annual McGowan Forums—on women in leadership and on communications—in honor of MCI Communications founder William McGowan. These events explored subjects from political cartoons to Presidential photographers and Press Secretaries. In light of increasing interest in the topic, we decided to shift the focus of the McGowan Forum from Communications to Ethics. This change in subject ties in nicely to the legacy of Bill McGowan, after whom this theater is named, and the McGowan Fellows Program, which promotes ethical business practices.

For our inaugural event, we are tackling Ethics in Journalism, and tonight a distinguished panel of active journalists and policy influencers will explore the critical ethical questions raised by our modern media structure.

Before we get to today’s program, I’d like to tell you about two coming up soon in this theater.

Tomorrow, Thursday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m., we will commemorate Seward’s Day—the 150th anniversary of U.S. Secretary of State William Henry Seward’s signing of the Alaska Treaty of Cession that purchased Russian America. We are joining with the State of Alaska to present a performance by the Alaska chamber group Wild Shore New Music. Wild Shore will perform the work of living composers who have found inspiration from the natural beauty and indigenous cultures of Alaska.

On Thursday, April 13, at 7 p.m., we will join with the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission to present “100 Years: World War I and The Weight of Sacrifice.” A distinguished panel will discuss the National World War I Memorial, its concept, and its design. The memorial in Pershing Park in Washington, DC, is scheduled to be dedicated in November 2018.

To learn more about these and all of our public programs and exhibits, consult our monthly Calendar of Events in print or online at Archives.gov. There are copies in the lobby—along with a sign-up sheet so you can receive it by regular mail or email. You’ll also find brochures about other National Archives programs and activities.

Another way to get more involved with the National Archives is to become a member of the National Archives Foundation. As the National Archives’ nonprofit partner, the Foundation generates financial and creative support for National Archives exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives. I invite all of you who are here tonight, and everyone watching online, to visit the Foundation’s website at archivesfoundation.org to learn more about their work. Applications for membership are also available in the lobby.

The theater where we are gathered in this evening and the program you are about to see tonight exist because of the generosity of one of our most important partners, the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund.

The William G. McGowan Charitable Fund is a philanthropic family foundation established in 1992 to perpetuate William McGowan’s tradition of compassionate philanthropy and ethical leadership. The vision of the Fund is to impact lives today, create sustainable change, and empower future generations to achieve their greatest potential. In addition to the support of the National Archives Foundation, the Chicago-based McGowan Charitable Fund promotes, nurtures, and funds many other signature programs throughout the United States.

We thank them for their continued support of our programs over the years. Now it’s my pleasure to introduce Marianne Rosica-Brand, a member of the Board of Directors of the McGowan Charitable Fund.

Top