Durham, NC - Two panels composed of national and local journalists and Duke faculty will examine media coverage of the Duke lacrosse case as well as national security issues following the Sept. 11 attacks.

Both discussions, which are open to the public, will be held on the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 20, in Room 3037 of the Duke Law School on Duke's West Campus. Parking is available in the parking garage next to the Bryan Center.

Panelists for the discussion, "Why rape allegations against men's lacrosse players became a national story on race, class and crime" include Herald-Sun editor Bob Ashley ('70); ESPN sports analyst and attorney Jay Bilas ('86, J.D. '92); Duke law professor and chair of Duke's lacrosse review committee James E. Coleman Jr.; Chronicle editorial page managing editor and 2005-06 editor-in-chief Seyward Darby; News & Observer managing editor John Drescher (A.M. '88); former Newsweek senior editor Jerry Footlick, author of "Truth and Consequences: How Colleges and Universities Meet Public Crises"; and Newsweek senior writer Susannah Meadows ('95).

Frank Stasio, host for "The State of Things" on WUNC Radio, will moderate the discussion, which begins at 1:30 p.m.

The second discussion, "Reporting and national security: Balancing public interests after 9/11," begins at 3:30 p.m. Panelists include Dow Jones Newswires defense reporter Rebecca Christie ('95); New York Times national security reporter Mark Mazzetti ('96); David Schanzer, visiting associate professor of public policy and director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security; Scott Silliman, Duke law professor and executive director of the Duke Center on Law, Ethics and National Security; Washington Post national investigative correspondent Jeffrey Smith ('76); and Susan Tifft ('73), the Eugene C. Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy Studies at Duke's DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy.

John Dancy, visiting lecturer at the DeWitt Wallace Center and former NBC News correspondent, will moderate the second panel. The program will conclude with a reception.

The discussions were organized by the Duke Chronicle Alumni Network, Duke Magazine and the DeWitt Wallace Center.