Memorial Fund Hosts War Correspondent Panel at Newseum

Joe Galloway, Stanley Karnow and Don Oberdorfer to Speak July 17 at 2 p.m.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will host a panel discussion

Washington, D.C. – The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will host a panel discussion about the media’s role in wartime at the Newseum on July 17, beginning at 2 p.m., announced Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Memorial Fund. The panel discussion is part of the Teach Vietnam Teachers Network National Conference, being held this week.

“The Military and the Media” panel, which will be held in the Newseum’s Knight TV Studio, Level 3, will feature three well-known correspondents from the Vietnam War:

    * Joe Galloway, journalist and co-author of the book, “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young;”
    * Stanley Karnow, who reported on the Vietnam War for Time magazine; and
    * Don Oberdorfer, former diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Post.

Spanning the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War and the Iraq War, this panel will explore the inherent tension between the military and the media and how it escalates during times of armed conflict. Panelists will look at how war coverage has changed over time, how journalists can shape public opinion about war and what lessons the media — and the nation — learned from the Vietnam War.

 “We are pleased to have three distinguished reporters on this panel,” said Scruggs. “As teachers plan their lessons contrasting how things were in the Vietnam era and how they are now, this presentation will give them valuable lessons in journalism as well as history.”

The Newseum is located at Pennsylvania Avenue and 6th Street, N.W.

The Teach Vietnam Teachers Network is a nationwide network of educators at all grade levels who are dedicated to teaching students about the Vietnam War era and building awareness of the Memorial Fund’s educational initiatives. This year’s conference, being held from July 16-20 at American University, is the fifth national gathering of the Teachers Network. In addition to classroom presentations, attendees will also take part in a congressional breakfast on July 17; a free concert by country music singer Keni Thomas at American University on July 18; and a remembrance ceremony at The Wall on July 19. All of these events are open to the public.

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is the nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.  Today, the Memorial Fund is an international nongovernmental organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of The Wall, promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War. Its initiatives include educational programs for students and educators, a traveling Wall replica that honors our nation’s veterans and a humanitarian and mine-action program in Vietnam. The Memorial Fund is also building the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, an underground educational facility, near The Wall.