A "Fred Friendly" Roundtable

Taking a different approach from the other panels in the Court of Public Opinion Conference, participants in the roundtable role-played their way through a hypothetical (though familiar-sounding) legal issue involving alleged sexual assault by a student athlete, sensitive issues of race and class, and high profile media attention.

Moderator Jack Ford, a TV news veteran, assigns roles including defense attorney, District Attorney, reporter, and Chancellor to a large panel, and asks them to examine their various obligations and choices when faced with the unfolding controversy.

Questions/themes/discussion topics
  • When and how should university officials publicly address criminal investigations involving students?
  • Do in-house investigations by universities of alleged criminal acts by students affect those students' constitutional rights?
  • How should university officials balance the rights of accused students with the safety of the rest of the student body?
  • Television news's reliance on personality over expertise
  • Public statements by prosecutors and defense counsel

 

Panel Video

"I think a responsible prosecutor is going to, early on, try and decide whether they have a strong case or a train wreck that's going to fall apart at the last minute."

- Peter Gilchrist