CHICAGO—Is it possible to get balanced news? Has the blurring of lines between entertainment and news gone too far? What role do independent presses and blogs play in news dissemination?

On Wednesday, January 12, at 6 p.m., the Newberry Library hosts some of Chicago’s top reporters as they share insights into today’s media scene and offer tips on becoming a smarter media consumer. Topics up for discussion include the consolidation of media ownership, the sensationalizing of news, the possible impact of broadband technology, and dwindling local news and cultural content in print and broadcast media.

Panel speakers for “How to Become a Smart Media Consumer” include Laura S. Washington, Chicago Sun-Times columnist and DePaul University instructor; Steve Edwards, host of Chicago Public Radio’s “Eight Forty-Eight”; Michael Miner, Chicago Reader columnist; and Dan Sinker, editor of Punk Planet. The panel discussion will be chaired by Alan Gitelson, political analyst and professor at Loyola University Chicago.

Admission to “How to Become a Smart Media Consumer” is free and open to the public at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago. For more information, call (312) 255-3691.

This program is presented in conjunction with the Newberry’s exhibit, Outspoken: Chicago’s Free Speech Tradition, on display through January 15, 2005. This free-admission exhibit about Chicago's vibrant history of free expression includes approximately 130 objects from the collections of the Newberry Library and the Chicago Historical Society. This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.

The Newberry Library is an independent library that is free and open to the public for research and reference in the humanities. The Newberry offers a wide variety of exhibits, lectures, classes and concerts related to its collections.