The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal quoted Haynes and Boone, LLP Partner Tom Williams discussing First Amendment, free press and freedom of information issues during Texas Tech University’s Civil Counterpoints campus conversation series Feb. 6.
The Avalanche-Journal reported that the event featured panelists Brie Sherwin, an associate professor in the Texas Tech School of Law; Don Richards, a former award-winning journalist and media attorney with the firm of Richards, Elder & Gibson; Thomas J. Williams, a media lawyer and partner with the law firm of Hayes and Boone in Fort Worth and Brandon Formby, investigative journalist with the Texas Tribune and graduate of Texas Tech. The discussion was moderated by Erik Bucy, the Formby Professor of Strategic Communication in Tech’s College of Media & Communication.
The report said the panel began by exploring the relationship between the press and the executive branch of the government. Panelists agreed the tension between the media and the president is nothing new, with Williams reminding the audience of the claims former President Richard Nixon made against the press during his tenure. ...
Bucy soon posed a question about the term “fake news,” and how its use has affected the media landscape. Sherwin explained to the audience there are different kinds of “fake news:” news that is truly false and news that people choose to not believe. Williams said audiences need to be more discerning of the news they use.
“All of us have to do a better job of being wise consumers,” Williams said. ...
Excerpted from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. To read the full article, click here.