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Of Subpoenas and Shoe Leather: How Prosecutors and Investigative Journalists Pursue Public Corruption

Tuesday, December 10, 2024
10:00AM - 11:15AM

Of Subpoenas and Shoe Leather: How Prosecutors and Investigative Journalists Pursue Public Corruption

Tuesday, December 10th, 10:00 AM

With the landmark election of the first convicted felon as president and the indictment and ongoing federal investigations into New York City Mayor Eric Adams, it’s likely that political corruption allegations will continue to dominate headlines. What is the interplay between prosecutors who investigate public officials and reporters mining sources and public records in search of scoops? What has been the impact of an evolving local media landscape on the ability to sniff out corruption? And what role will the media have amidst a changing of the guard in the Justice Department?

In a virtual panel on Tuesday, December 10, Vital City and Columbia Journalism School (CJS) bring together reporters and law enforcement officials to discuss the symbiotic and sometimes conflicting roles of journalists and prosecutors in exposing corruption — and how it's changing as New York City's media landscape evolves.

Introductory Remarks: Jelani Cobb, dean of the Columbia Journalism School

Moderator: Errol Louis, political anchor of Spectrum News NY1

Panelists: Rose Gill, Principal with Bloomberg Associates, former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation

William Rashbaum, New York Times reporter covering municipal and political corruption, the courts and broader law enforcement topics in New York

Mimi Rocah, District Attorney for Westchester County and former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York

Greg B. Smith, reporter at THE CITY

RSVP

Speakers

  • Jelani Cobb joined the Columbia Journalism School faculty in 2016 and became Dean in 2022. He has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 2015 and was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Commentary. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Journalism Project and the Board of Trustees of the New York Public Library. In 2023, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Cobb has a B.A. in English from Howard University and completed his M.A. and doctorate in American History at Rutgers University in 2003.
  • Errol Louis is the Political Anchor of Spectrum News NY1, where he hosts "Inside City Hall," a nightly primetime show about New York City politics where he interviews top political and cultural leaders. Louis has moderated more than two dozen debates between candidates for mayor, public advocate, city and state comptroller, state Attorney General and U.S. Senate. He was recently ranked #40 on the list of the 100 most powerful people in New York City politics. He is an adjunct professor of Urban Reporting at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism as well as co-editor of Deadline Artists.
  • Rose Gill is a Principal with Bloomberg Associates and former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation.
  • William Rashbaum is a New York Times reporter covering municipal and political corruption, the courts and broader law enforcement topics in New York.
  • Mimi Rocah is District Attorney for Westchester County and former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
  • Greg B. Smith is a reporter at THE CITY.