In The News

Organizations of all kinds have issued statements since the shooting expressing their solidarity for HIAS and Jewish communities. “Hate-fueled violence has once again been let loose on an American community — our community — and we are all devastated at the loss of life and physical injuries,” Pittsburgh Foundation Board Chair Dr. Edie Shapira and President Maxwell King said in a statement.

Our university-foundation partnership continues to grow. Going forward we’re committed to reaching a larger audience in order to illuminate the inestimable value of First Amendment freedoms. Here’s what we plan to do. (Co-authored by Foundation President Max King and Duquesne University President Ken Gormley.)

Gen. Michael Hayden, a Duquesne alum and the former director of both the CIA and NSA, was one of many distinguished speakers who took part in the first National Conference on the First Amendment hosted on Duquesne’s campus on Oct. 21 and 22. The two-day conference, held by the Pittsburgh Foundation and Duquesne, featured some of the leading voices in the nation on the issue of free speech.

At a recent conference on the First Amendment, co-sponsored by Duquesne University and the Pittsburgh Foundation, national figures from politics, the media and academia engaged in civil discussions about the incivility of our political culture.

The Charles E. Kaufman Foundation — a supporting organization of The Pittsburgh Foundation, which works to improve the quality of life in the Pittsburgh region — has selected three Penn State researchers to receive scientific grants: Jun Zhu, Chaoxing Liu and Joseph Cotruvo Jr.

Experts gathered in Pittsburgh on Sunday and Monday to discuss the past, present and future of the First Amendment and issues surrounding the basic freedoms it enshrines. Hosted by Duquesne University, the Pittsburgh Foundation and Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center, the two-day conference touched on the role of the internet, artistic expression and free speech on college campuses.

For two days in Pittsburgh, a national exploration of what the First Amendment means to America in 2018 dug into every corner of this notion to understand where we are, and where we’re going, in terms of the rights Americans have to express themselves.

Some of the country’s top journalists, legal experts and former government officials explored issues related to press freedom at the National Conference on the First Amendment at Duquesne University. Here are some voices and thoughts from the two-day event.

All three editors agreed that newspapers are facing regular criticism, stoked by President Donald Trump, but said readers are also recognizing the importance of a free press.

In the final hours of the legislative session last week, lawmakers in Harrisburg overwhelmingly approved a bill that will end the practice of suspending driver’s licenses for those convicted of certain non-driving offenses. Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to sign the bill this week.  Editor’s note: The article sites an op-ed by Maxwell King and Matt Smith in support of the bill.