“Race, and Racism, in the Media" on July 27

HAMDEN, CT - Quinnipiac University’s School of Communications will present a Zoom panel discussion on “Race, and Racism, in the Media” from 12–1:30 p.m. on Monday, July 27.

A panel of media professionals will discuss the industry’s struggle to hire a diverse workforce and its failure to cover important topics about racism.

“The recent death of George Floyd has sparked a national discussion about race relations in America and how those stories are portrayed in the media,” said Michael Lyle, an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac who will serve as moderator for the panel. “As a black journalist, this discussion is one that is long overdue, given the lack of diversity in the business, which would allow for those stories to be accurately portrayed. My sincere hope is this discussion will make us understand why these issues simply can no longer be ignored and what changes are needed for the long term.”
Lyle, who also works for New England Public Radio anchoring local and regional news during NPR’s flagship shows “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered,” will be joined by five panelists.

• Sandy Gonzalez-Wilson is executive director of The Jewish Center in Princeton, New Jersey, where she is responsible for all written and electronic communications. She spent 12 years at Bloomberg Television as a producer and editor and four years as a reporter for the New York Post, where she covered child abuse in New York City in a series that was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

• Ray Hernandez is director of public relations and government affairs for Otis Elevator. A Quinnipiac School of Communications graduate, Hernandez spent 15 years at Pratt & Whitney, where he worked as director of digital communications, manager of external relations and a communications specialist. He also worked at ESPN as a studio production researcher.

• Allen Mask is chief of staff at Sonos, the speaker and soundbar company. Mask previously served as vice president of product marketing, partner marketing and product collaborations at Sonos. He also has been global product marketing lead for Airbnb, director of marketing and growth for Connect.com, product marketing manager for Google Play and associate brand manager for Google Android.

• Philana Patterson is a managing editor at USA Today, where she oversees its money and consumer tech coverage. She has been at USA Today since November 2015. Patterson previously spent eight years at The Associated Press, where she helped oversee breaking and enterprise news coverage. She also was interactive media editor for BlackEnterprise.com.

• Keith Reed previously worked as deputy press secretary for the City of Atlanta, serving as spokesman for Mayor Kasim Reed. He also was a senior editor at ESPN, editor in chief of Catalyst Ohio and a business reporter for the Baltimore Business Journal, The Boston Globe and The Enquirer of Cincinnati, Ohio.

For more information or to register for this free virtual event, click here.