Dr. Carlson to address the National Press Club in Washington, DC!

KENNESAW, Ga. (Aug 15, 2013) — Kennesaw State University Assistant Professor of Communication Carolyn S. Carlson will be in Washington, D.C., next month to speak about the practices of federal public affairs officers and the implications for press freedoms.

Carlson, a longtime reporter and editor for The Associated Press, will discuss two recent surveys that explore the relationship between government affairs officers and reporters during a panel discussion assembled by the National Press Club’s Press Freedom Committee. It will be the first time a Kennesaw State professor speaks at a press club event.

In a 2012 online survey, 146 reporters covering federal government agencies said they faced barriers in trying to get information to the public because of interference from public affairs officers. A 2013 follow-up survey of more than 100 government public information officers found that about 65 percent said they felt it necessary to supervise interviews of their agency’s staff. The Freedom of Information Committee of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) conducted the surveys as part of Sunshine Week.

Carlson was the lead author of the surveys' findings. Roberta Jackson, a graduate research assistant at Kennesaw State, worked on the 2013 report.