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Former CNN producer and current Assistant Professor of Broadcast Journalism at Howard University in Washington, DC,Professor Jennifer Thomas, will visit Lagos for activities marking this year’s World Press Freedom Day.
Professor Thomas is expected in Nigeria from April 29 to May 3, joining the United States Consulate General to mark the event and she will conclude her her week-long engagements with a lecture at Pan Atlantic University On World Press Freedom Day, May 3.
While at CNN, Professor Thomas played a vital role in the network’s coverage of major news stories and was honored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for her contribution to the network’s September 11 coverage. She also received the Peabody Award for her contribution to CNN’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina.
In a statement on Friday, the Consulate said Professor Thomas will, during her visit, “conduct a broadcast journalism workshop, grant a series of interviews highlighting the role of the free press in a democracy, and interact with journalism students at the School of Media and Communication at Pan Atlantic University.”
She will also be featured in a Facebook Live session focused on the “Menace of Fake News.”
During the conclusion of her engagements at the Pan Atlantic University, the audience will include journalism faculty and students, senior journalists and editors, as well as representatives of media development organizations.
Speaking on the visit of Professor Thomas to commemorate the 26th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, U.S. Consulate Public Affairs Officer Russell Brooks said, “We are extremely pleased that Professor Thomas will join us to mark this important occasion and share her insights with Nigerian colleagues. The United States considers a free press to be a foundation of democratic governance. We believe a free press must be fostered to keep citizens properly informed and actively engaged in the issues that affect them in order to hold government and other institutions accountable to the public.”
