The New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet will be speaking at the Nevada Museum of Art in downtown Reno at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 8. Hosted by the Reynolds School of Journalism of the University of Nevada, Reno, Baquet will discuss media and conflicts over the First Amendment.

As executive editor, Baquet holds the top position in the Times newsroom. This public forum will explore the state of the news media, coverage of the Trump Administration, and how the Times is positioning itself during this period of unbridled social media, audience discontent and uncertain financial support.  

Before being named executive editor, Baquet served in various editorial roles for The New York Times. He also was editor of the Los Angeles Times and, earlier in his career, was a reporter for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans and for the Chicago Tribune, where he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize leading a team of reporters who exposed corruption on the city council.  

Caesar Andrews, who holds the University's Paul A. Leonard Chair for Ethics and Writing at the Reynolds School, says Baquet's experience is extremely important for students and media professionals.    

"He is a highly respected journalist whose leadership of The New York Times newsroom is of frequent and intense interest in the industry," Andrews said. "Dramatic changes in how people consume information have created a period of uncertainty about the future of news-gathering. Many people seem to be losing confidence in the credibility of the media. But the Times remains a pacesetter on standards of quality."  

The forum will start at 7 p.m. at the Nevada Museum of Art, 160 West Liberty Street, Reno, and is free to the public. You can find more information at the Reynolds' School website. 

Baquet's visit is sponsored by the Reynolds School's Paul A. Leonard Chair for Ethics and Writing in Journalism.