The Issue: The new online database posted by the Center for Public Integrity (CPI), documenting the many hundreds (935) of false statements made by senior Bush Administration officials on Iraq’s weapons programs and links to Al Qaeda leading up to war with Iraq, adds a new twist to the adage: the first casualty of war is truth. Of course, the government assault on openness, transparency and government accountability, had been gaining steam ever since the September 11th attack. The political climate following 9/11 stifled serious resistance to this assault. And the ever-declining commercial commitment to serious news coverage – particularly international news – has clearly done its part to maintain an uninformed and enfeebled public.

Join a discussion with Charles Lewis, founder of the CPI, about this grave threat to our democracy and how to confront it. What is the role of philanthropy? Given economic and political realities, what can we hope for from our media? In particular, how is the media covering issues of international security? What can we do to improve it? And how is the media role and coverage of these issues different during an election year?

The Presenter: Charles Lewis, the founder of the Center for Public Integrity, created and directed the “Iraq Lies” project. He is the president of the Fund for Independence in Journalism in Washington, a distinguished journalist in residence at American University, and the coauthor of five books, including the bestseller, The Buying of the President 2004 (HarperCollins). He founded the Center for Public Integrity in 1989 and was its executive director for 15 years. From 1977 to 1988 he did investigative reporting at ABC News and at CBS News's 60 Minutes. He was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 1998 and PEN USA's First Amendment Award in 2004.

You are invited to join the discussion with questions and comments, or simply listen in. Wednesday, February 6th at 2:00 pm (EST).

For call in instructions, contact Katherine Magraw at kmagraw@peaceandsecurity.org or call 434 989-1514