Strong democracies depend on healthy news ecosystems. And yet the future of journalism appears as precarious as ever, with some noteworthy exceptions. Are the days of undisputed “facts” – and fact-checking for that matter – over? What is the future of truly independent reporting (as opposed to advocacy or activist journalism)? Are the days of general interest publications and outlets over? And what role will Artificial Intelligence play beyond auto-generating prep sports coverage? To help explore these issues and more will be Tracy Brown, Chief Content Officer for WBEZ in Chicago, and Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and former Editor-in-Chief of Wired. The conversation will be moderated by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and Lab parent, Cornelia Grumman.
Nicholas Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic and the former editor-in-chief of WIRED. He is a former contributor for CBS News and a cofounder of The Atavist, a National Magazine Award–winning digital publication and multimedia content management system. Thompson previously served as editor of NewYorker.com and as a senior editor at WIRED. He has long been a competitive runner; in 2021, he set the American record for men 45+ in the 50K race.
Tracy Brown is WBEZ’s Chief Content Officer. A newsroom leader and journalist for more than 25 years, her career includes stints at award-winning newsrooms across the country. Prior to coming to WBEZ, she was deputy managing editor at The Atlanta Journal and Constitution. Prior to that, she was the newspaper’s Page One editor. She also co-created the AJC’s award-winning narrative series Personal Journeys. For more than a decade, she worked at The Dallas Morning News in Texas, in addition to stints at the St. Petersburg Times in Florida and The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C. In her free time, she enjoys theater and traveling abroad with friends — and around the country, where she is quickly closing in on her bucket-list goal of visiting all 50 states.
Hosts: David Saunders and Heidi Thompson Saunders and Caroline and Dan Grossman
Date: Monday, May 9, 2022 from 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Location: At the home of Heidi and David Saunders, Hyde Park
Ticket sales for the Salon Lab are now closed.
