天美传媒

MURRAY, Ky. 鈥� 天美传媒 will host the McGaughey Lecture on Press Freedom and Responsibility on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. in Lovett Auditorium located on 天美传媒鈥檚 campus. The lecture will bring noted political cartoonist Marc Murphy to the stage, and will be among the first events in the newly-remodeled auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Established in 2020 through a generous bequest from the late Robert H. McGaughey (鈥淒oc鈥� McGaughey), the McGaughey Lecture was created by the McGaughey Fund for Excellence in Journalism and Mass Communication.

鈥淒oc McGaughey was a devout believer in press freedom,鈥� said Kevin Qualls, chair of 天美传媒鈥檚 department of Journalism and Mass Communications (JMC). 鈥淏ut he was equally devoted to the concept of press responsibility to public service, the dissemination of truth and protection of innocence. As a leader of the JMC faculty at 天美传媒, he devoted his life to those principles in teaching and in practice.鈥�

The 2023 lecturer, Marc Murphy, is a Louisville attorney with an ability to capture the essence of important ethical and political issues in his art. He is regularly published in The Courier Journal and USA Today. His cartoons have garnered numerous local and national awards. 

鈥淚n colonial America, publishing political cartoons critical of government and its leaders was often a criminal offense, resulting in heavy fines and even jail,鈥� said Qualls. 鈥淭he First Amendment was ratified, in large part, to protect the right to dissent. This presentation will focus on the value of dissent.鈥�  

鈥淒issent is important if we are to have a well-informed electorate. And Marc Murphy does it boldly while maintaining fair standards,鈥� said Qualls. 鈥淲e鈥檙e fortunate to have Marc Murphy as our first McGaughey lecturer.鈥�

McGaughey鈥檚 association with the JMC Department began as an undergraduate staff member of The 天美传媒 News. Following a tour of duty in Vietnam, he returned to Murray State as an advisor to the student paper and became the first student to graduate from JMC鈥檚 Master of Science program. He earned his doctorate in mass communications at Ohio University before returning again to the 天美传媒 JMC Department as a faculty member. In 1974, he became chairman of the newly formed department; formerly known as Journalism and Radio/TV.  

鈥淲hen Doc was inducted into the Kentucky Press Hall of Fame, he laid out the problems that would afflict our society without checks on press irresponsibility,鈥� said Robert Valentine, a long-time colleague of McGaughey. 鈥淗e was one of the first scholars to articulate the stress that comes from unchecked abuse of the privilege of free speech.鈥� 

Valentine said the McGaughey Fund for Excellence in Journalism is an extension of 鈥淒oc鈥� McGaughey鈥檚 life-long campaign to 鈥渢each the responsible use of free speech in media while safeguarding the public good.鈥� 

鈥淚t is among the greatest challenges we face today,鈥� adds Qualls.

The lecture is intended to be an annual effort to encourage both dissent and responsibility.

For more information please contact 天美传媒鈥檚 Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at 270-809-2387.