'On the Issues' to explore legacy of journalist James Foley

September 20, 2016

MILWAUKEE — The legacy of journalist James Foley will be the featured topic of an upcoming "On the Issues with Mike Gousha," Tuesday, Sept. 27, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. at Marquette University Law School's Eckstein Hall, 1215 W. Michigan St.

This event is a collaboration between the Law School, the broader Marquette University community and the Milwaukee Film Festival. This year, the festival is presenting the documentary "Jim: The James Foley Story." Foley, an alumnus of Marquette, was a frontline reporter who was kidnapped and eventually killed by the terror group ISIS in August 2014. Foley's legacy, and the challenges, dangers and ethical complexities of combat reporting will be explored by a three-person panel.

Joining us will be Tom Durkin, Meg Jones, and Erik Ugland. Durkin is Foley's longtime friend, a member of the Board of Directors of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, and an adjunct professor of English at Marquette. Jones is a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She specializes in military issues and has been embedded several times with Wisconsin soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ugland is a faculty member in Marquette's Diederich College of Communication. He teaches media ethics, and will address some of the press freedom and safety issues highlighted by Foley's work.

Gousha, an award-winning television journalist, is the Law School's distinguished fellow in law and public policy. His "On the Issues" series of conversations with newsmakers supports Marquette Law School's commitment to serve as a modern-day public square for the city of Milwaukee, the state of Wisconsin and beyond.

Through public programming such as the Marquette Law School Poll, debates featuring candidates in significant political races, Gousha's "On the Issues" conversations with newsmakers, public lectures by leading scholars and conferences on significant issues of public importance, the Law School serves as the region's leading venue for serious civil discourse about law and public policy matters.

Seating for the event is complimentary; advance registration is required and is available online. Members of the media who are interested in attending should contact Chris Jenkins in the Office of Marketing and Communication.