Reporters Discuss Civil Rights Era Convictions

 TUSCALOOSA,AL — Three Southern reporters whose work has led to numerous convictions in decades-old killings during the civil rights era will speak Thursday, March 31, at The University of Alabama.

The panel, titled “Let No Victim Be Forgotten: Reporting Cold Cases from the Civil Rights Era,” will begin at 6:45 p.m. in Room 216 of Reese Phifer Hall.

Three journalists who specialize in civil rights “cold cases” will be speaking: Jerry Mitchell of the Jackson, Miss., Clarion-Ledger, who won a MacArthur genius award in 2009 for reporting that has led to four convictions; Stanley Nelson of The Concordia, La., Sentinel, whose recent work on a 1965 killing led to a grand jury meeting in February; and John Fleming of The Anniston Star, whose work led to a guilty plea by a then-state trooper in Selma who killed a civil rights protester.

The three are part of the Civil Rights Cold Case Project, a project of the Center for Investigative Reporting. Its manager is Alabama native Hank Klibanoff, who shared a Pulitzer in 2007 for his book, “The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation.”

The event is part of UA’s J-Day activities sponsored by the journalism department in the College of Communication and Information Studies and is part of the seminar “Discerning Diverse Voices: Communication and Information Symposium on Diversity,” sponsored by the College.

In addition, the lecture is offered in conjunction with the centennial commemoration of journalist William Bradford Huie in conjunction with the exhibit “William Bradford Huie @100” at UA’s W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is experiencing significant growth in both enrollment and academic quality. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.