Freedom of the Press: History’s Lessons for Today — with Stephen Bates

Stephen Bates is a Professor of Journalism & Media Studies at UNLV, specializing in First Amendment law, freedom of the press, and media ethics. A Harvard-trained lawyer and accomplished author, his 2020 book An Aristocracy of Critics: Luce, Hutchins, Niebuhr, and the Committee That Redefined Freedom of the Press won Harvard’s prestigious Goldsmith Prize. Bates has written for The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, and leading academic journals, and he has held fellowships at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Harvard’s Shorenstein Center. With decades of experience at the intersection of media, law, and public policy, he offers rare insight into the ethical and legal dilemmas shaping journalism past and present.