Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Party With A Purpose Discusses Decline of Newspapers, Jan. 26


From the Middlesex County Community Foundation

The Middlesex County Community Foundation is sponsoring its first  “Party with a Purpose” of the decade on Tuesday, January 26, 2010, at 5:00 p.m. at the Wadsworth Mansion at 421 Wadsworth Street, Middletown, Connecticut. 

The guest speaker will be Middlesex County resident, Peter Prichard, a noted author and journalist with 30 years of experience in the field of journalism and an expert on its importance to civil engagement.   Light fare and lively conversation will follow.  The fee is twenty dollars per person. 


Peter Prichard recently retired as president of the Newseum, the $450 million interactive museum of news in Washington, D.C.  Mr. Prichard previously served as editor-in-chief of USA TODAY, the nation’s largest circulation daily newspaper.  During his more than six years as editor, USA TODAY passed the Wall Street Journal in circulation, selling more that 2.3 million copies per day, and won many national journalism awards. In 1987, he wrote “The Making of the McPaper, the Inside Story of USA TODAY”, which sold more than 28,000 copies in hardcover and was ranked as one of the top journalism books for the year.


The topic of the evening will be, “The Decline of the Daily Newspaper and What That Means for Democracy”.  What are the implications of the internet, social media, and the age of instant news on civic engagement and democracy?  What will happen to the field of journalism?  Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and participate in spirited conversation.

The Middlesex County Community Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Middlesex County.  Its two-fold mission is: (1) to work with charitably-minded individuals and organizations to build permanent endowments and other charitable funds and (2) to support local nonprofit organizations through effective grant making to address community needs. Since its founding in 1997, the Community Foundation has provided more than $1.5 million in grants to more than 200 organizations for the arts, cultural and heritage programs, educational activities,  environmental improvements, and for health and human services.

 For more information, please call   860-347-0025

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