Patt Morrison '74: Paper, Scissors, Rock, Pixels

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Where do you get your news? The chain is so complex that you may not even know. You may see it for free on a screen, but that’s not where it began; it was reported and written by humans who do that for a living. News and information face a war on two fronts: one is that the sources of fact-checked information are disappearing, and the second is that they are under assault by Orwellian forces, and they need to do a better job to fend that off. The two are not unrelated.

Patt Morrison '74 will present an illustrated look at the evolution of American newspapers along with some analysis of the changing nature of news and the persistent need for it. 

About the Presenter

Patt Morrison is a columnist, public broadcaster and author with six Emmys, a share of two Pulitzer prizes, and two best-selling books. She has interviewed myriad authors, political leaders, scientists, thinkers, and film figures, including four past and current Supreme Court justices, as well as Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Jimmy Carter, Hillary Clinton, and Al Gore, authors from Salman Rushdie to Alice Walker, and scientists like Stephen Jay Gould, and both James Watson and Francis Crick. Her book “Rio LA, Tales from the Los Angeles River,” helped to revive interest in the city’s much-neglected river. She was the first woman in almost a quarter-century to be awarded the Los Angeles Press Club’s lifetime achievement award, and Pink’s, the legendary Hollywood hot dog stand, named its vegetarian dog after her.

Morrison graduated cum laude from Occidental College in 1974 with a major in Diplomacy and World Affairs was named Occidental's "Alumnus of the Year" in 1995 and was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1998.

Her latest book, “Don’t Stop the Presses! Truth, Justice, and the American Newspaper”, recounts the evolution and role of the nation’s press.