Robert J. Rosenthal
Photo: Knight Foundation

Executive Director, Center for Investigative Reporting

Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Visitor - Class of Fall 2015

Robert J. Rosenthal is the executive director of the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), one of the leaders in non-profit, non-partisan public-service journalism. He started his career at the New York Times and served as editorial assistant of the Pentagon Papers. A former reporter and a foreign correspondent, Rosenthal served as executive editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer and the managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. As a reporter, he has won numerous awards and is a four-time judge for the Pulitzer Prize.

Project Description

The Threats and Opportunity of Sustaining a Free Press in the Age of Technology

The worst regimes in history have been very good at controlling information and eliminating anyone who challenges official messaging or the state’s authority. Journalism, as it evolved over the last few centuries, observes Robert J. Rosenthal, has long been on the frontline of challenging authority. At times journalists were eliminated; at other times their roles were crucial in keeping their societies informed and in holding power accountable. But in the age of the mobile phone, anyone can be a publisher. Rosenthal discussed the shifting role of the media and the duties of journalism in the age of ever-advancing computer technology.

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