DANBURY, Connecticut – Western Connecticut State University will tackle one of the foundational questions of human experience with a year-long examination of “What is Truth?”
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Stephen Hegedus is sponsoring and organizing a series of lectures by leading voices to explore how truth is pursued, challenged, and understood across multiple disciplines.
The first event of the Provost’s Distinguished Lecture Series will begin at 6 p.m. on Sept. 30 with a panel discussion on “Truth & Journalism: Reporting Reality in an Era of Misinformation,” featuring editors and reporters who set the standard for journalism in Connecticut. They will talk about how they manage the pressures of today’s media landscape to present news in an authoritative, empathetic, and clear manner.
Panel members include:
- Elizabeth Hamilton, editor, CT Mirror, winner of the 2026 Pulitzer Prize
- Stephen Busemeyer, managing editor, CT Mirror
- John Breunig, editorial page editor, Hearst Connecticut Media Group
- Eddy Martinez, breaking news/general assignment reporter, Connecticut Public TV
- JC Barone, WCSU professor of Communication and Media Arts, who produces the annual “Election Connection” live Election Night report with WestConn students
The event, at Ives Concert Hall, in White Hall on the Midtown campus, 181 White St., Danbury, is free and open to the public and will be followed by a wine and cheese reception.
The lecture series, supported with funding from The Macricostas Family Lecture Series Endowment, will continue throughout the academic year with “Truth in Science: Uncertainty and the Scientific Search for Truth,” “Truth & Justice: Evidence, Perspective and the Pursuit of Justice,” and “Truth & Imagination: How Art, Literature, and Creativity Reveal Truths. Further dates will be announced on the Provost’s Distinguished Lecture Series page
Hegedus created The Provost’s Distinguished Lecture Series in 2025 to bring leading voices from across disciplines to share their insights, scholarship, and vision with the regional community.
Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.