Guest: Brian Williams
A journalist should always report the facts, but can the facts lie? Can justice be served when the truth is at odds with the evidence?
Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor of "NBC Nightly News," will examine these questions and more during a screening and discussion of the Oscar-nominated newspaper drama "Absence of Malice."
Directed by Sydney Pollack, "Absence of Malice" stars Sally Field as ambitious reporter Megan Carter and Paul Newman as wealthy businessman Michael Gallagher. Both are pulled into a federal investigation when an overzealous prosecutor uses Carter to explore Gallagher’s life and ties to the Mafia.
Because of the information she uncovers, Carter writes an explosive story implicating Gallagher in the disappearance of a union chief. However, the story soon becomes more than the sum of its facts.
Written by veteran journalist Kurt Luedtke, "Absence of Malice" takes a hard, honest look at journalistic ethics and what happens when a reporter gets too close to her source.
Since joining NBC News in 1993, Williams has become one of the nation's foremost television journalists, covering nearly every major breaking news event and traveling extensively around the world. Williams has also written for The New York Times, Time magazine and the Los Angeles Times.
Welcoming remarks were provided by:
* Joe Urschel, Executive Director and Senior Vice President, Newseum
* Larry Kirkman, Dean, American University School of Communication
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