The Reynolds School of Journalism is pleased to present the 2026 Lerude First Amendment Distinguished Lecturer, Charles Tobin, for a lecture on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Tobin will present a talk entitled “Freedom of the Press on the Edge: Can the American media survive when every federal agency appears ready to squash the First Amendment?" and engage in discussion with Associate Professor of Media Law, Patrick File.

The lecture and forum will be held on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 in the Wells Fargo Auditorium in the University of Nevada, Reno Knowledge Center. A reception with light refreshments will precede the talk at 5 p.m. and the program will begin at 6 p.m. After the discussion, members of the audience will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A.

Charles Tobin is a First Amendment lawyer with the Ballard Spahr law firm’s media practice group, resident in their Washington, D.C. office. For more three decades, Charles has represented clients like AP, CNN, Fox Television, the New York Times, ProPublica, USA TODAY, the Washington Post and many others in defamation, privacy and FOIA litigation. He has appeared in court in more than half of the states in high-profile litigation arising from such historic events as the January 6 Capitol Riot, the indictments of President Trump, government spending during COVID, 9/11, the Bush-Gore recount of the 2000 election and the impeachments of Presidents Trump and Clinton.

This annual lecturer forum is funded by Warren and Janet Lerude. Warren Lerude, an emeritus professor at the Reynolds School of Journalism, has been instrumental in advancing press freedom both in Nevada and nationally. He led a team of three editorial writers to win the Pulitzer Prize when he was editor of the Reno Evening Gazette and Nevada State Journal.

Support provided by the Lerude Family Endowment allows this event to be free and open to the public. Space is limited and online registration is required.