Critically Acclaimed Investigative Reporter Andy Thibault to Deliver PEW Memorial Lecture at Widener University
Investigative reporter and author Andy Thibault will deliver the Pew Memorial Lecture in his presentation of Law & Justice in Everyday Life to the Widener University community in Chester, Pennsylvania. The event is free and open to the public. From the latest in headline grabbing news to stories and events that rock the American justice system, Andy Thibault will bring to light true life stories of ordinary citizens as they encounter the justice system. From the pages of his critically acclaimed book Law & Justice in Everyday Life, -- with a foreword by F. Lee Bailey, Mr. ThibaultÂ’s lecture will tackle political cover-ups, government misconduct, police corruption and civil rights violations, and give first hand accounts and commentary on his experiences with these issues as an investigative reporter.
LITCHFIELD, CT (PRWEB) October 15, 2004
Investigative reporter Andy Thibault will deliver the Pew Memorial Lecture Law & Justice in Everyday Life to the Widener University community in Chester, PA, on Monday, Oct. 18, 2004 at noon. The lecture is free and open to the public.
From the latest in headline grabbing news to stories and events that rock the American justice system, Andy Thibault will bring to light true life stories of ordinary citizens as they encounter the justice system. From the pages of his critically acclaimed book Law & Justice in Everyday Life, -- with a foreword by F. Lee Bailey, and introduction by Howard Zinn, Mr. ThibaultÂ’s lecture will tackle political cover-ups, government misconduct, police corruption and civil rights violations, and give first hand accounts and commentary on his experiences with these issues as an investigative reporter.
Mr. Thibault has reported on police brutality in Hartford, Connecticut, the Russian Mob in Brooklyn, New York, and the pipe bombing at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia. He also covered the independent counsel investigation into the finances of the late U. S. Commerce Secretary, Ron Brown, and the Young & Rubicam “Come Back to Jamaica” kickback scandal. Most recently, he has written about the cover-up of a sexual assault at the Niantic, Connecticut women’s prison.
Immediately following Mr. ThibaultÂ’s lecture will be a Q & A period. Members of the audience are encouraged to ask Mr. Thibault questions and/or comment on the lecture.
About Andy Thibault:
Thibault, author of Law & Justice in Everyday Life, is a columnist for Law Tribune Newspapers, adjunct professor of journalism at the University of Hartford, and managing partner of Murzin-Thibault Investigative Group LLC. He is the author of the just released book, History of the Connecticut State Police, and business books including The 12-Minute MBA for Lawyers. He is editor of APS Publications (http://www. apsreview. com/ (http://www. apsreview. com/)), the publishing arm of the Association of Productivity Specialists, and a contributing writer for StateÂ’s Most Wanted (www. statesmostwanted. com).
Mr. Thibault has been an editor at such publications as The Hartford Courant, The Stamford Advocate, The Commercial Record, Norwich Bulletin, Register Citizen and The Times Leader. His profiles of subjects including poets and prosecutors, as well as essays on the arts, have appeared in Connecticut Magazine and Northeast Magazine. His work has also appeared on “Page Six” of The New York Post. He is a former commissioner and hearing officer for the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission, an agency charged with opening access to government records; a former vice chairman of the Litchfield Board of Education and a former board member of the Connecticut Commission on the Arts.
He co-authored and edited a series on the court systemÂ’s handling of a juvenile sexual assault case in 1982 and 1983 that led to changes in Connecticut law regarding the status of juveniles in adult court. The series won first place prizes from the National Newspaper Association for investigative reporting, the New England Press Association for community service and the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists for in-depth reporting.
Mr. Thibault is a member of the National Conference of Editorial Writers, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Connecticut Library Association and the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. He also serves on the advisory board of the Connecticut Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Library of Congress.
Thibault's work as an investigative reporter and feature writer has earned numerous state and national awards. A judge from the Society of Professional Journalists writing competition has said this about Thibault's probe of the cover-up of a hit-and-run death in a Connecticut city: "The writer explores whether New London's former mayor benefited from a widespread cover-up for the 1973 hit-and-run death of a college student. Witty, compelling - the writer has a knack for speaking in conversational tone, all the while quietly weaving in crucial facts to support his arguments that more people should be outraged by the shoddy circumstances surrounding the 1973 investigation."
In September 2004, The Hartford Courant and The Connecticut Law Tribune reported that the FBI seized notes, cameras, a journalist's phone book containing sources and other materials from investigators working with the Murzin-Thibault Investigative Group. Lawyers chastised the government for taking the materials, noting the Fourth Amendment prohibits such seizures.
In addition, Mr. Thibault also manages a non-profit foundation that awards $1,000 prizes annually to young poets and writers in Connecticut. The IMPAC-Connecticut State University Young Writers Trust www. ctyoungwriters. org has given $100,000 to teen-age poets and writers since 1998.
Andy Thibault and his wife, Lora, an insurance company executive, are the parents of four children.
Additional information about Andy Thibault is available at www. andythibault. com.
About Pew Charitable Trusts:
Pew Charitable Trusts, a multi-purposed charity that has awarded billions of dollars of grants for health, science, the environment, art and children. The Trusts also fund the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.
Additional information is available at: www. pewtrusts. com.
Contact:
Donna Rooney Tel. (914) 669-5990; Donna. Rooney@rcn. com
Debra Koke Tel. (914) 428-0217; DebraKokePR@verizon. net
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