Veteran reporter Claudia Rowe will lead a conversation about the current sea change in journalism, sharing stories from her experiences at various newspapers across the country. At one of those papers, editors refused to cover the disappearance of several local women; such reporting would have exposed a thriving street-prostitution trade and reflected poorly on the region. Through this prism, Rowe will discuss what can happen when financial imperatives direct news judgment – exactly what is happening in newsrooms across the nation today. She will challenge us to consider our own role and responsibility in this new media landscape. Is the role of journalism to provide stories that we want to hear or news that we need to hear?

About Claudia Rowe Claudia Rowe has been an award-winning social issues journalist for more than 20 years, writing most recently for The New York Times, Mother Jones and the Seattle Times. Whether covering serial murder, gang violence, same-sex marriage or public education, the question of motivation – what compels a person to take action – has marked her work. Rowe is the winner of many journalist accolades, including the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism.