Professor Leopold to Moderate Press Club Event on Fair Elections

Are you concerned about fair elections, accurate information from the media on campaigns and elections, trustworthy election officials and a watchdog media to help ensure a thriving democracy? 

Then you won’t want to miss a great St. Louis Press Club event for the public, “Watchdogs of Democracy: The Media’s Role in Fair Elections,” from 6:30 - 8:15 p.m., on Tuesday, June 14, presented in cooperation with the St. Louis County Election Board. The free event will be at Election Board headquarters, 725 Northwest Plaza Drive in St. Ann, Mo., with a virtual Zoom option offered, as well.

Joy Leopold, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Communications at Webster University, will moderate the panel. Leopold, who teaches media ethics and newspaper production and whose research interests include civic participation, will ask questions related to fair and honest elections and the media’s role as a watchdog. 

The program will bring together top experienced journalists, St. Louis County’s Republican and Democratic election directors, members of the Missouri Legislature and a recognized world expert on free and fair elections. 

Guests must RSVP to the St. Louis Press Club (info@stlpressclub.org) whether you plan to attend in person or on Zoom. Subject line: RSVP. Watchdogs of Democracy.

"Attendees will have a front row seat to better understand how the press functions in a democracy and why it matters that citizens get reliable information," said Joan Berkman, president of the St. Louis Press Club.

Paul DeGregorio, who has worked around the world ensuring free and fair elections and was a Republican director of the St. Louis County Election Board, will present keynote remarks at 6:30 p.m. His credentials include election observer and head of mission at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, former chair of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and former senior fellow at the Democracy Fund, among others. 

The panel will look at how and where people get election news, how the media can focus on issues not just “horse-race” polling and how election officials can build trust so that election results are accepted by all sides and the public.

The panel includes:

• Eric Fey, County Election Board Democratic director; 
• Rick Stream, County Election Board Republican director; 
• Heather Isringhausen-Gvillo, Associate Editor at the Madison- St. Clair County Record, whose focus has been on legal and political reporting. She has experience in print, television and radio;
• Mark Schlinkmann, longtime political and government reporter for the St. Louis Post- Dispatch who has covered local, state and national elections and is a former Kansas City Times Statehouse reporter;
• State Sen. Karla May, a Democrat representing parts of St. Louis, Richmond Heights, Shrewsbury and Maplewood. She is chair of the Missouri Senate Minority Caucus, chair of the St. Louis Democratic Central Committee and a former state representative;
• State Rep. Shamed Dogan, a Republican representing parts of Ballwin, Ellisville Fenton and Wildwood. He is chair of the House Special Committee on Criminal Justice. A former Ballwin alderman and legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Jim Talent, Dogan is a candidate this year for St. Louis County Executive.
• Jessica Brown-Billhymer, the Press Club's V.P. of programming, said the Press Club was offering the program as a public service to the community prior to the August primary and November election.

 “Active, engaged and participatory citizenship ideally should include a better understanding of how news operations cover political campaigns and elections; what reporters’ guiding principles are; what the realities of running a news business resemble … that’s some of what we hope to cover with our audience,” Brown-Billhymer said.

The program includes:

5:30 p.m. Tour of the St. Louis County Election Board, 425 Northwest Plaza Drive, St. Ann (The tours of the County Election Board headquarters will show how election officials receive and tabulate votes, and prepare for and manage elections.)

6:30 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. Keynote remarks by a world election expert followed by panel of reporters, St. Louis County election directors and two Missouri legislators, followed by Q and A (Questions should be submitted to the Press Club before June 13. (Subject line: Question for Watchdogs of Democracy)

For everyone’s safety, masks are strongly recommended at the Election Board venue and seating will be spaced. 

The St. Louis Press Club is for those who make cover and influence the news. Its mission is to raise awareness for student journalism scholarships and for enterprise grants to working, independent journalists to spotlight under-reported topics in our region.