Pulitzer Prize-Winning Reporter to Speak at SUNY Plattsburgh May 5

PLATTSBURGH, NY (04/29/2009)(readMedia)-- Former New York Times reporter David Cay Johnston will speak at SUNY Plattsburgh on Thursday, May 5, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., in Room 208 of Yokum Hall. This forum, which is free and open to the public, will focus on Media, Ethics and the Law.

A Pulitzer Prize winner who retired from the New York Times in 2008 after 13 years there, Johnston is known for uncovering the Enron tax scandal, revealing that some companies use a Bermuda mail box to escape American taxes and more.

His investigative reporting prompted the only major tax policy change made by the Bush Administration, which dropped a stealth plan to cut taxes on the super rich by a quarter of a trillion dollars over 10 years.

His latest book, "Free Lunch," is a national bestseller, exposing the massive transfers of wealth from the poor, middle class and affluent to the super rich. He is also the author of "Perfectly," a national bestseller on our tax system that won the 2004 Investigative Book of the Year award. His first book was "Temples of Chance," an expose of the casino industry.

"We are very pleased to be able to bring David Cay Johnston to the SUNY Plattsburgh campus," said Channing Gerard Joseph, visiting assistant professor at the college who has organized the event. "His courageous investigative reporting has revealed the many ways that government regulations and subsidies have cheated the poor and middle class and helped the rich get even richer."

Joseph hopes that Johnston's work will inspire SUNY Plattsburgh students.

"Corporate bailouts and job cuts lead the front pages of every newspaper, and in these tough times, Mr. Johnston's work to analyze and expose the hidden mechanisms behind economic injustice is more relevant than ever. I hope that his speech on the Media, Ethics and the Law will inspire students here at SUNY Plattsburgh to pursue their own career goals with the same integrity and commitment to public service that Mr. Johnston exemplifies," said Joseph.

For more information, contact Joseph at 518-564-2448.