BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//ChamberMaster//Event Calendar 2.0//EN METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:P1H REFRESH-INTERVAL:P1H CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:DAYLIGHT RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU DTSTART:20070101T000000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:Pacific Daylight Time END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU DTSTART:20070101T000000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:Pacific Standard Time END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251205T113000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251205T133000 X-MICROSOFT-CDO-ALLDAYEVENT:FALSE SUMMARY:High School Program: The Future of the First Amendment DESCRIPTION:Join the Los Angeles World Affairs Council on Friday\, December 5th from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm for a timely high school program exploring the shifting landscape of free expression in America. While the First Amendment protects our right to speak freely even when views may offend increasing concerns about censorship across institutions have raised new questions about the strength of these protections.Our panel features Christina Bellantoni\, Director of USC Annenberg's Media Center and Henry "CJ" Jackson\, veteran writer and editor. Both are respected USC Annenberg educators with deep expertise in political communication\, media ethics\, and the legal and cultural forces shaping today's public dialogue. The conversation will be moderated by award-winning broadcast journalist and radio host Frank Mottek. Students will leave with a clearer understanding of the stakes for free speech today and the role they play in protecting it.Please email Krista Seitz at kseitz@lawac.org to receive 10 student tickets and 2 chaperone tickets. If you would like more free tickets\, please let her know. Missed the event? Catch up on insights from Christina Bellantoni\, Henry "CJ" Jackson\, and Frank Mottek.Watch the full session HERE.\n\nSpeaker Bios:Christina BellantoniChristina Bellantoni is a professor of professional practice\, the director of USC Annenberg's Media Center\, and a columnist for the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call. Bellantoni also serves as an Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy faculty fellow. She is a member of the board of directors for two news nonprofits: the Riverside Record and the Hunter Index.She has freelanced as a digital strategy consultant with the Outlook News Group based in La Ca ada and as a contributing editor at The 19th News\, a nonprofit newsroom. She served as a journalist advisory board member of the AI startup Seekr. Bellantoni has worked as a reporter and editor\, as a producer and as an analyst on national television. She has covered local\, state\, and federal government\, including four presidential campaigns and the White House.At the LA Times\, Bellantoni was an assistant managing editor focused on politics. Under her leadership\, the California politics team earned statewide recognition for innovative coverage of politics. She joined the Times after spending 12 years as a journalist in Washington\, D.C.\, serving as editor-in-chief of Roll Call until moving to Los Angeles in 2015.Before Roll Call\, Bellantoni was the political editor and an on-air analyst at the PBS NewsHour. Bellantoni began her stint in Washington in 2003 as a Metro reporter at the Washington Times and became a senior reporter for Talking Points Memo in 2009. Bellantoni was a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics in 2011\, and is a former vice president of the Washington Press Club Foundation. She frequently appears on television and radio\, including Spectrum News 1\, NPR\, CNN\, MSNBC\, Fox News\, and HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher. Find highlights from her reel here.Awards and Honors:Pulitzer Prize/Breaking News (team award) (2015)\n1st Place from Maryland Delaware DC Press Association (2014)\nNational breaking news award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (2000)Henry "C.J." JacksonHenry "C.J." Jackson is a veteran writer\, editor\, and communications expert who has taught classes at USC Annenberg since 2016 and served as a writing coach in USC Annenberg's Media Center. Until October 2019\, he served as director of editorial events at the Los Angeles Times. Previously\, Jackson served as a staff editor at Politico\, a leading political news site\, during the 2016 campaign and the first two years of the Trump administration. Before that\, Jackson spent nearly a decade as a national writer at The Associated Press in Washington\, D.C.\, and Des Moines\, Iowa covering two presidential campaigns\, Congress\, and numerous high-profile public policy debates\, conducting sit-down interviews with then Sens. Barack Obama\, Hillary Clinton and John McCain as well as former Governor Mitt Romney. His reporting also helped change public records policy in Iowa. Jackson began his career as a city reporter for the Kansas City Star. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas\, where he also served as a Dole Fellow at the Dole Institute of Politics.Moderator: Frank MottekFrank is an award-winning broadcast journalist with more than 30 years of experience\, now hosting Mottek On Money weeknights live on the air at 6pm on 790 KABC in Los Angeles\, and worldwide on demand on the Mottek On Money podcast. Mottek On Money received the 2020 Golden Mike Award from the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California for Best Business and Consumer Reporting. Frank joined CBS in Los Angeles in 1992 when he served as news reporter and anchor on KNX\, host of the KNX Business Hour during the 2008 financial crisis\, Mottek On Money during the 2020 pandemic\, morning drive Senior Money Anchor\, anchor on KCAL9-TV and spot reporter for KCBS-TV CBS2. For ten years\, he also worked as reporter and business news anchor on the KTLA Channel 5 News @ 10 and the KTLA Morning News. He joined 790 KABC in 2021.Frank began his broadcast news career at the age of 16 at a top-rated FM station in Miami. He then joined the all-news CBS station Miami in 1981 where he was morning news anchor\, reporter\, and news/talk host for 11 years. During that time\, he provided the live descriptions of all space shuttle launches for the CBS Radio Network from 1985 through 1991 and he was an eyewitness to the 1986 Challenger disaster at the Kennedy Space Center.Event Recap:What a wonderful high school program we had on Friday\, December 5th\, covering the topic of the First Amendment with our amazing panel: Professor Christina Bellantoni\, Henry "C.J." Jackson\, and our excellent moderator\, Frank Mottek! The discussion explored how free speech and press freedoms are protected under the Constitution and the modern challenges those rights face. Panelists discussed media credibility\, political polarization\, social media\, and the growing role of technology and AI in journalism\, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking and media literacy. The conversation also highlighted the vital role of student journalists in upholding democratic values and holding institutions accountable.Tremendous thanks to our high school program sponsors\, Nick Boone and the Boone Foundation\, as well as the Steinmetz Foundation\, for supporting our youth education initiatives and making it possible for Los Angeles County high school students to learn and engage with timely issues that affect them and their peers. The video recording of the event can be found here: LAWAC High School Program: The Future of the First Amendment X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:
Join the Los Angeles World Affairs Council on Friday\, December 5th from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm for a timely high school program exploring the shifting landscape of free expression in America. While the First Amendment protects our right to speak freely&mdash\;even when views may offend&mdash\;increasing concerns about censorship across institutions have raised new questions about the strength of these protections.
Our panel features Christina Bellantoni\, Director of USC Annenberg'\;s Media Center and Henry &ldquo\;CJ&rdquo\; Jackson\, veteran writer and editor. \;Both are respected USC Annenberg educators with deep expertise in political communication\, media ethics\, and the legal and cultural forces shaping today&rsquo\;s public dialogue. The conversation will be moderated by award-winning broadcast journalist and radio host Frank Mottek. \;
Students will leave with a clearer understanding of the stakes for free speech today and the role they play in protecting it.
Please email Krista Seitz at kseitz@lawac.org to receive 10 student tickets and 2 chaperone tickets. If you would like more free tickets\, please let her know. \;

Missed the event? \;

Catch up on insights from Christina Bellantoni\, Henry &ldquo\;CJ&rdquo\; Jackson\, and Frank Mottek.

Watch the full session \;HERE.



Speaker Bios:

Christina Bellantoni

Christina Bellantoni is a professor of professional practice\, the director of USC Annenberg&rsquo\;s Media Center\, and a columnist for the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call. \;Bellantoni also serves as an Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy faculty fellow. She is a member of the board of directors for two news nonprofits: the Riverside Record and the Hunter Index.

She has freelanced as a digital strategy consultant with the Outlook News Group based in La Cañ\;ada and as a contributing editor at The 19th News\, a nonprofit newsroom. She served as a journalist advisory board member of the AI startup Seekr. \;Bellantoni has worked as a reporter and editor\, as a producer and as an analyst on national television. She has covered local\, state\, and federal government\, including four presidential campaigns and the White House.

At the LA Times\, Bellantoni was an assistant managing editor focused on politics. Under her leadership\, the California politics team earned statewide recognition for innovative coverage of politics. \;She joined the Times after spending 12 years as a journalist in Washington\, D.C.\, serving as editor-in-chief of Roll Call until moving to Los Angeles in 2015.

Before Roll Call\, Bellantoni was the political editor and an on-air analyst at the PBS NewsHour. Bellantoni began her stint in Washington in 2003 as a Metro reporter at the Washington Times and became a senior reporter for Talking Points Memo in 2009. Bellantoni was a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School&rsquo\;s Institute of Politics in 2011\, and is a former vice president of the Washington Press Club Foundation. She frequently appears on television and radio\, including Spectrum News 1\, NPR\, CNN\, MSNBC\, Fox News\, and HBO&rsquo\;s Real Time With Bill Maher. Find highlights from her reel here.

Awards and Honors:

Pulitzer Prize/Breaking News (team award) (2015)
1st Place from Maryland Delaware DC Press Association (2014)
National breaking news award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (2000)

Henry "\;C.J."\; Jackson

Henry &ldquo\;C.J.&rdquo\; Jackson is a veteran writer\, editor\, and communications expert who has taught classes at USC Annenberg since 2016 and served as a writing coach in USC Annenberg&rsquo\;s Media Center. Until October 2019\, he served as director of editorial events at the Los Angeles Times. Previously\, Jackson served as a staff editor at Politico\, a leading political news site\, during the 2016 campaign and the first two years of the Trump administration. \;

Before that\, Jackson spent nearly a decade as a national writer at The Associated Press in Washington\, D.C.\, and Des Moines\, Iowa &mdash\; covering two presidential campaigns\, Congress\, and numerous high-profile public policy debates\, conducting sit-down interviews with then Sens. Barack Obama\, Hillary Clinton and John McCain as well as former Governor Mitt Romney. His reporting also helped change public records policy in Iowa. Jackson began his career as a city reporter for the Kansas City Star. \;

He is a graduate of the University of Kansas\, where he also served as a Dole Fellow at the Dole Institute of Politics.

Moderator: Frank Mottek

Frank is an award-winning broadcast journalist with more than 30 years of experience\, now hosting Mottek On Money weeknights live on the air at 6pm on 790 KABC in Los Angeles\, and worldwide on demand on the Mottek On Money podcast. Mottek On Money received the 2020 Golden Mike Award from the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California for Best Business and Consumer Reporting. Frank joined CBS in Los Angeles in 1992 when he served as news reporter and anchor on KNX\, host of the KNX Business Hour during the 2008 financial crisis\, Mottek On Money during the 2020 pandemic\, morning drive Senior Money Anchor\, anchor on KCAL9-TV and spot reporter for KCBS-TV CBS2. For ten years\, he also worked as reporter and business news anchor on the KTLA Channel 5 News @ 10 and the KTLA Morning News. He joined 790 KABC in 2021.
Frank began his broadcast news career at the age of 16 at a top-rated FM station in Miami. He then joined the all-news CBS station Miami in 1981 where he was morning news anchor\, reporter\, and news/talk host for 11 years. During that time\, he provided the live descriptions of all space shuttle launches for the CBS Radio Network from 1985 through 1991 and he was an eyewitness to the 1986 Challenger disaster at the Kennedy Space Center.

Event Recap:

What a wonderful high school program we had on Friday\, December 5th\, covering the topic of the First Amendment with our amazing panel: Professor Christina Bellantoni\, Henry "\;C.J."\; Jackson\, and our excellent moderator\, Frank Mottek! The discussion explored how free speech and press freedoms are protected under the Constitution and the modern challenges those rights face. Panelists discussed media credibility\, political polarization\, social media\, and the growing role of technology and AI in journalism\, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking and media literacy. The conversation also highlighted the vital role of student journalists in upholding democratic values and holding institutions accountable.

Tremendous thanks to our high school program sponsors\, \;Nick Boone and the Boone Foundation\, as well as the \;Steinmetz Foundation\, for supporting our youth education initiatives and making it possible for Los Angeles County high school students to learn and engage with timely issues that affect them and their peers. \;

The video recording of the event can be found here: LAWAC High School Program: The Future of the First Amendment \;

LOCATION:3980 Bill Robertson Lane Los Angeles CA 90037 UID:e.4331.1331150 SEQUENCE:3 DTSTAMP:20260501T102747Z URL:https://members.lawac.org/events/Details/high-school-program-the-future-of-the-first-amendment-1562232?sourceTypeId=Hub END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR