Philosophy of Journalism Workshop

Eleanor Gordon-Smith (Princeton University , University of Southern California), Vanessa Schipani (University of Pennsylvania), C.j. Oswald (University of Virginia), Rubén Marciel (University of Geneva), Carrie Figdor (University of Iowa), Viviane Fairbank, Lorenzo Manuali (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor), Alexander Prescott-Couch (University of Oxford)

Friday, November 21, 2025:

• 9:30am–9:35am: Welcome and opening remarks

• 9:35am–10:35am: Eleanor Gordon-Smith (USC, Philosophy, The Guardian), “The Distribution of Doubt”

• 10:45am–11:15am: Vanessa Schipani (Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media), “Rethinking Journalistic Objectivity (Or Why Journalists Can be Activists)”

• 11:15am–11:30am: Tea & coffee

• 11:30am–12:00pm: C.J. Oswald (University of Virginia, Philosophy): “News is More than its Aims”

• 12:00pm–1:00pm: Lunch

• 1:00pm–2:00pm: Rubén Marciel (University of Geneva, Political Science and International Relations), “In Defense of Deliberative Journalism” (via Zoom)

• 2:20pm–4:00pm: Panel Discussion and Q&A Session 1, with Carrie Figdor (University of Iowa, Philosophy, formerly with The Associated Press), Justin Murphy (author of Your Children Are Very Greatly in Danger, formerly with Democrat and Chronicle), and Jason Silverstein (independent journalist, formerly with The New York Times and CBS)

Saturday, November 22, 2025:

• 9:30am–10:30am: Viviane Fairbank (University of St Andrews and University of Stirling, Philosophy, co-founder of The Truth in Journalism Project), “The Responsible-Inquiry Model of Journalism”

• 10:40am–11:10am: Lorenzo Manuali (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Philosophy): “Towards a More Democratically Motivated Mass Media”

• 11:20am–12:20pm: Alexander Prescott-Couch (Oxford University, Philosophy), “Explanatory and Narrative Journalism: Epistemic Functions and Democratic Value”

• 12:20pm–1:20pm: Lunch

• 1:20pm–3:00pm: Panel Discussion and Q&A Session 2, with Dave Andreatta (The New York Times freelancer; University of Rochester, Media relations), Melissa Goldin (The Associated Press), Shohreh Laici (University of Rochester, Scholar in exile), and Jim Memmott (Democrat and Chronicle, University of Rochester, English)