Poynter Brings CNN's Jake Tapper to St. Petersburg for a Community Conversation

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 30, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Poynter Institute, a global leader in journalism, will host award-winning journalist and author Jake Tapper for a community conversation called "Political Thrillers, Fact and Fiction." Tapper is currently the chief Washington correspondent for CNN, anchor of the CNN weekday television news show "The Lead with Jake Tapper," and host of the Sunday morning program, "State of the Union."

The event on June 14 will take place at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida. Tapper will talk about his career reporting on politics from Washington, as well as how his experience relates to the intrigue of McCarthy-era Washington on display in his new fiction novel, "The Hellfire Club."

Respected by people across the political spectrum, Tapper reports crisply and evenly out of an often chaotic Washington. Recently, he interviewed former FBI director James Comey in what was considered one of the most hard-hitting conversations during Comey's media tour. He led a highly-praised town hall on the gun-control debate with parents and survivors in Parkland. He moderated 2016 presidential primary debates and has covered multiple presidencies. On his shows, he consistently calls out falsehoods and does not accept "alternative facts." Tapper's reporting on the 2016 election has been recognized with a number of awards, including a 2017 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism.

The conversation will be moderated by Indira Lakshmanan, the Newmark Chair for Journalism Ethics at Poynter. Lakshmanan, an accomplished journalist herself, has covered coups, campaigns and revolutions in 80 countries and the U.S. From Washington, she covered politics and foreign policy, traveling with Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. At Poynter, Lakshmanan is spurring thought leadership on restoring trust in journalism across the political spectrum through transparency and accountability.

Proceeds from the evening will benefit The Poynter Institute and the Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts.

"This event, part of a year-long speaker series, will give Tampa Bay residents the chance to meet journalists and hear them talk about the vital work they do for our democracy," said Wendy Wallace, the director of advancement at Poynter. "Elevating journalism and its role in healthy democracies is core to Poynter's mission."

The stop in St. Petersburg is part of Tapper's book tour promoting "The Hellfire Club," set in 1950s Washington. Poynter's Lakshmanan will talk with Tapper about ethics, trust in the media, and the comparisons we can make between his novel and now. 

A limited number of VIP tickets are available and include heavy hors d'oeuvres, drinks, a copy of "The Hellfire Club," and a meet-and-greet opportunity with Tapper. General admission tickets for the conversation only are also available. Tickets are on sale now at TheMahaffey.com.

Sponsors interested in supporting the event should contact Elisa Jackson, executive director of the Poynter Foundation at [email protected].

About The Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a global leader in journalism education and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media and 21st century public discourse. Poynter faculty teach seminars and workshops at the Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, and at conferences and organizations around the world. Its e-learning division, News University, offers the world's largest online journalism curriculum with hundreds of interactive courses. The Institute's website, www.poynter.org, produces 24-hour coverage of news about media, ethics, technology, the business of news and the trends that currently define and redefine journalism news reporting. The world's top journalists and media innovators come to Poynter to learn and teach new generations of journalists, and to build public awareness about journalism that serves democracy and the public good.

About the Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts
Founded as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 2009, the Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts is dedicated to the success and future of The Mahaffey Theater and to the notion that through diverse programing and patron membership support, performing arts should be enjoyed by all of St. Petersburg's citizens. It's your theater!

The Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts is committed to supporting and presenting all genres of the performing arts at The Mahaffey Theater, funding arts education for school children through the Class Acts performance series and providing its member patrons with unequaled services, entertainment and cultural experiences.

Contact: Tina Dyakon
Director of Advertising and Marketing
The Poynter Institute
[email protected]
727-553-4343

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