Alexander Heffner.
Alexander Heffner’s talk will take place Sept. 10, at 6:30 p.m. at James Branch Cabell Library. (Courtesy photo)

PBS host to speak at VCU about ‘Civil Discourse in an Uncivil Age’

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Alexander Heffner, host of “The Open Mind” on PBS, will give a public lecture at Virginia Commonwealth University on “Civil Discourse in an Uncivil Age: Media and the 2020 Election.”

Heffner’s talk will be held Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. in Room 303 of James Branch Cabell Library, 901 Park Ave.

The event is part of a speaker series organized by the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture in the College of Humanities and Sciences.

Heffner has covered American politics, civic life and millennials since the 2008 presidential campaign and his work has been profiled in The Washington Post, The New York Times, and on NBC News, CNN and the BBC, among other media outlets. He is co-author of “A Documentary History of the United States.” He is recipient of the University of Denver’s Anvil of Freedom Award, Franklin Pierce University’s Fitzwater Medallion for Leadership in Public Communication and Yale University’s Poynter Fellowship in Journalism.

The event, which will be moderated by Bill Oglesby, associate professor of journalism at the Robertson School, is free and open to the public. Seating will be available on a first-come basis.

In addition to street parking, nearby paid parking is available in VCU's Main Street and West Cary Street parking decks.