Adam Zyglis: Free Speech and the Current State of Free Press in America

Apr 29, 2025, 7:00pm
Organizer
William H. Fitzpatrick Institute of Public Affairs and Leadership
Location
Montante Cultural Center

Since the nineteenth century, western governments and leaders have recognized the significant power of the press in the political process with Edmund Burke even claiming that the press, which he labeled the “fourth Estate,” was the most important of all. As the framers of the U.S. Constitution addressed the demands of the nation’s first states, they sought to protect the press and its power in the First Amendment, which guarantees not only the freedom of speech, but also the freedom of the press. Nearly 240 years later, the powers enshrined in the First Amendment remain important in the life of the body politic. They also remain under fire. 

Join us on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at 7:00 pm in the Montante Cultural Center for a conversation between members of Buffalo’s journalism community, including Adam Zyglis ‘04, Emyle Watkins ‘20 , and Natalie Faas ‘24, and Dr. Maura Snyder, Assistant Professor of Communications as they discuss the First Amendment, the Fourth Estate and the perils confronting free speech and a free press in the United States.

For more information please email Richard A. Bailey, PhD, at Fitzpatrick.lecture@canisius.edu.

This event is free and open to the public.