The University of Kentucky Office for Institutional Diversity, in partnership with The Atlantic and other community and university partners, will host Jenisha Watts, senior editor at The Atlantic, and Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief at The Atlantic, for a talk titled “The Future of Journalism and the Health of our Democracy.” The event will take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 20, in the Singletary Center Concert Hall and is free and open to the public.

The focus of their lecture will be on American democracy and the pivotal role journalism plays in shaping and influencing it. This thought-provoking lecture will provide students and faculty with a valuable opportunity to engage with influential national figures in journalism and our very own alum – Jenisha Watts.

Rachel Amey is a Ph.D. in psychological and brain sciences and completed a postdoc in computer science. She now is a research psychologist in the Predictive Analytics and Modeling Research Unit in the Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences. Her research interests lie in applying advanced analytics to questions surrounding personnel training and retention. Her research unit has also been developing automated assessments using large language models (LLMs) to optimize soldier training.

Andrew Slaughter is a Ph.D. in industrial organizational psychology and is a team lead in the Predictive Analytics and Modeling Research Unit in the Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences. His research interests lie in statistical methods, social networks and personnel assessment.

Following this year's KY Journalism Hall of Fame Induction, the Joe Creason Lecture in Journalism, given by 2010 Hall of Fame inductee Al Cross, a UK journalism professor who was a longtime Courier Journal reporter and columnist and founding director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues. For more information, contact the UK School of Journalism and Media at 859-257-3904 or email at jam@uky.edu. 

Seven will be inducted into the 2024 class of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame. This year’s Hall of Fame ceremony, on April 9, will also feature the Joe Creason Lecture in Journalism, given by 2010 Hall of Fame inductee Al Cross, a UK journalism professor who was a longtime Courier Journal reporter and columnist and founding director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues. 

Seating is limited. Members of the press and public may RSVP by Friday, March 29 by calling 859-257-4848 or by email at erika.engstrom@uky.edu.