Thursday, November 1, 2001 CONTACT: Sallie Barker, (706) 583-8220, sbarker@uga.edu; Gwen Davis, (706) 542-9536, grdavis@uga.edu ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION EDITOR CYNTHIA TUCKER TO SPEAK AT UGA NOVEMBER 14 ATHENS, Ga. — Cynthia Tucker, the editorial page editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, will deliver the 24th Annual Ralph McGill Lecture on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 10:30 a.m. in the UGA Chapel. The media’s coverage of recent events will frame her discussion on the current state of American journalism. The event is free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the lecture series commemorates the life of the late Ralph McGill. The former editor and publisher of the Atlanta Constitution was regarded as “the conscience of the South,” using the paper's editorial pages to challenge segregation in the ’50s and ’60s. The commemorative series serves to address major issues of the American press system with professional journalists, students and members of the university community. In addition to the lecture, this year’s McGill observance has been expanded to include the McGill Issues Forum (also open free to the public). The forum will be held in the Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom at the UGA School of Law from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Tucker will join the university community in an open discussion of diversity at the University of Georgia. Not known to back away from controversy, Tucker is responsible for guiding the development of the AJC’s opinion policies on everything from foreign policy to local school board races. In addition, she is a frequent commentator on PBS’s “News Hour With Jim Lehrer” and “CNN and Company” as well as a syndicated columnist for dozens of newspapers across the country. Over the past 24 years, the McGill lecture has been delivered by a distinguished lineup of veteran journalists and publishers. Tucker joins the ranks of industry veterans including White House correspondent Helen Thomas, Sports Illustrated’s Frank Deford and Washington Post Publisher Katharine Graham. Before being named editorial page editor of the AJC, Tucker was associate editorial page editor. Prior to that, she was an editorial writer and columnist for the afternoon Atlanta Journal. Tucker has been a reporter for the Atlanta Journal and for the Philadelphia Inquirer. At those publications, she covered a variety of beats including local governments, national politics, crime and education. She has also reported internationally from Africa and Central America. Tucker is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), the National Association of Minority Media Executives and the American Society of Newspaper Editors. She also serves on the board of the Poynter Institute. The 1976 Auburn University graduate was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University during the 1988–89 academic year. In 2000, she received the "Distinguished Writing Award" from the American Society of Newspapers Editors. Established in 1913, the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication provides seven undergraduate majors: advertising, broadcast news, magazines, newspapers, public relations, publication management and telecommunication arts. In addition, the college offers three graduate degrees, and it is home to the Peabody Awards, one of the premiere award programs in broadcasting. Currently, the college has more than 800 students and more than 40 faculty members. For more information, call (706) 542-5038 or visit www.grady.uga.edu. ##