The second annual Ralph Lowell Lecture will feature Marty Baron, former editor of The Washington Post and The Boston Globe, for a conversation about the enduring challenges to the First Amendment protections of freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Baron will examine the tension between presidential power and the First Amendment and what this means for the future of trusted journalism, democracy, and public discourse.
The lecture will draw on Baron’s decades of leadership at two of the nation’s top newsrooms and address the urgent challenges facing modern journalism today: new presidential restrictions on White House press access, the rise of AI-driven disinformation, and rapidly shifting news consumption habits. He will address the escalating conflict between the executive branch and the media and its critical impact on free speech and explain why a free press remains indispensable to safeguarding democracy.
Join GBH for an evening with Marty Baron as he explores the evolution of these challenges in “The President’s Forever War Against the First Amendment”.
About the Ralph Lowell Lecture
The annual Ralph Lowell Lecture honors the legacy of GBH founder Ralph Lowell, whose work was devoted to the free dissemination of knowledge as an important foundation for an informed and engaged democratic citizenry. Each year, the lecture brings leading voices to GBH to explore ideas and issues that shape our public life.
