Marquette to host virtual Burleigh Lecture to address nation’s opioid epidemic
MILWAUKEE — Sari Horwitz and Scott Higham, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters for The Washington Post, will virtually deliver, “Pulling Back the Curtain: The Hidden Story of a Nation’s Opioid Epidemic,” at Marquette University’s annual Burleigh Media Ethics Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 4 p.m. CST.
The lecture is hosted by the Diederich College of Communication and the O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism and is open to the public. Registration with further event information is available online.
Horwitz and Higham will discuss their series, “The Opioid Files,” which explores unknown aspects of this tragically familiar topic. The series was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service and received the O’Brien Fellowship Award for Impact from the News Leaders Association. The groundbreaking, data-driven reporting used previously hidden government records, and confidential company documents, to provide unprecedented insight into America’s deadly opioid epidemic. The records, and meticulous reporting, showed the full scope of the crisis, and revealed which manufacturers benefited from an overwhelming dependency throughout the country.
Horwitz has been a reporter for The Washington Post for 36 years and has been awarded four Pulitzer Prizes for her work covering crime, homeland security, federal law enforcement, education, and social services. Among her awards are three other Pulitzer Prizes, the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and the Investigative Reporters and Editors Medal.
Higham joined The Washington Post in 2000 and has conducted numerous investigations for the news organization, including an examination of abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison, and waste and fraud in Homeland Security contracting. In addition to two Pulitzer Prizes, he has received the Robert F. Kennedy Award and two Investigative Reporters and Editors Medals.
The Burleigh Media Ethics Lecture honors William R. Burleigh, a 1957 Marquette journalism graduate, who started working for the Evansville (Indiana) Press at age 14 as a sports reporter. He retired in 2000 as president and CEO of the E.W. Scripps Company, having led the transformation of Scripps from primarily a newspaper enterprise into a media company with interest in cable and broadcast television, newspaper publishing, e-commerce, interactive media, licensing, and syndication. Burleigh lectures address ethical issues today’s communicators report on, as well as those they wrestle with in their own work.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Opioid Crisis
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- MKE County: Crowley Signs Opioid Program Funding - Graham Kilmer - Sep 10th, 2024
- Serenity Inns Opens New Addiction Treatment Center in Milwaukee - Serenity Inns - Aug 14th, 2024
- MKE County: County Nearly Doubles Narcan Vending Machines - Graham Kilmer - Aug 12th, 2024
- Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley Announces Placement of Eight Additional Harm Reduction Vending Machines - County Executive David Crowley - Aug 12th, 2024
- Milwaukee’s Native Community Faces Surge in Opioid Deaths - Trisha Young - Jul 8th, 2024
- MKE County: County Awards $2.8 Million To Non-Profit Opioid Programs - Graham Kilmer - Jul 2nd, 2024
- MKE County: County To Get $3 Million From Kroger In Opioid Settlement - Graham Kilmer - Jul 1st, 2024
- Court Decision Holds Up Wisconsin’s $70 Million Drug Settlement - Sarah Lehr - Jul 1st, 2024
- MKE County: Opioid Settlement Will Fund 7 New, Expanded Abatement Efforts - Graham Kilmer - Jun 28th, 2024
Read more about Opioid Crisis here