PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A.G. Sulzberger, publisher of the New York Times and a Brown University Class of 2003 graduate, will visit Brown on Monday, Sept. 23, to deliver the 99th Stephen A. Ogden Jr. ’60 Memorial Lecture on International Affairs.
In a presentation titled “Free Press in Peril: The Growing Threats to Journalism Around the World,” Sulzberger will share his insights on the impact a restricted press can have on the health of a nation.
According to a report by the independent watchdog organization Freedom House, attempts to throttle freedom of the press have increased in some of the world’s most influential democracies, and overall media freedom has deteriorated over the past decade. As the principal steward of editorial independence and excellence at the Times — which has won more Pulitzer Prizes than any news organization in the world — Sulzberger is uniquely poised to explore how societies can nurture a free press.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in political science from Brown, Sulzberger worked at the Providence Journal until 2006. He then took a news reporter position at The Oregonian before joining the Times’ metro desk in 2009. On Jan. 1, 2018, Sulzberger was named publisher, making him the sixth member of the Ochs/Sulzberger family to serve in the role since the newspaper was purchased by Adolph Ochs in 1896.
As publisher, Sulzberger oversees both newsroom and company operations at the Times and has been a driving force behind business strategy and digital transformation. With nearly 1,600 journalists reporting from more than 160 countries every year, the Times has a global digital audience of 150 million people. It is also home to the largest digital subscription pay model for journalism worldwide, with more than 4.7 million paid print and digital subscriptions.
The Monday, Sept. 23, event at Brown will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the Salomon Center for Teaching’s De Ciccio Family Auditorium. It is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. The event will also be live-streamed on the Brown website.
For tickets and more information, visit brown.edu/ogden.
The Stephen A. Ogden Jr. ’60 Memorial Lecture
Since 1965, the Ogden Lectureship has presented the University and its neighboring communities with authoritative and timely addresses about international affairs. The lectureship was established in memory of Stephen A. Ogden Jr., a member of the Brown Class of 1960, who died in 1963 from injuries he suffered in a car accident during his junior year. His family created the series as a tribute to Ogden’s interest in advancing international peace and understanding.
Dozens of heads of state, diplomats and observers of the international scene have participated in the series, including former British Prime Minister David Cameron, Queen Noor of Jordan, former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, media innovator Ted Turner, astronaut Sen. John Glenn, economist Paul Volcker, Bolivian President Evo Morales, former prime minister of Italy Romano Prodi, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, former U.N. Secretary-General Ban-ki Moon and His Highness the Aga Khan.