SEIGENTHALER REPORT Uncovering the police
Converging trends threaten public accountability of local and state law enforcement across the United States
By Jack McElroy Presented by the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies Part of Seigenthaler Report Series November 2019 About the Seigenthaler Reports Series We are pleased to introduce the Seigenthaler Reports, a new series exploring current issues in journalism, with particular focus on press freedom, the ability of the press to adequately inform the public, and the changing nature of the press in a digital age. The reports are a project of the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies, established in 1986 in the College of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University. Mr. Seigenthaler (1927-2014) was the longtime president, editor and publisher of The Tennessean in Nashville and the first chairman of the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University. During his tenure leading The Tennessean, he championed the cause of civil rights and fought for journalists to have access to public records and meetings. The chair’s programs promote understanding of the First Amendment and support quality journalism in the state through deepening student experiences and community partnerships. — Deborah Fisher , Director of the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies
About the Author Jack McElroy grew up in Tucson, Ariz., where he earned a bachelor's degree in English at the University of Arizona. He began his newspaper career at the Douglas (Arizona) Daily Dispatch in 1976, and a year later he joined The Albuquerque (N.M.) Tribune, where he eventually served as managing editor. He earned a master’s degree in Management at the University of New Mexico. In 1991, he moved to the Rocky Mountain News in Denver and was managing editor there when the Columbine High School shootings occurred. The newspaper was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for its photo coverage of the event. McElroy was named editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel in 2001. During his 18-year editorship, the newspaper won several national awards for work on behalf of the First Amendment and open government. He was a founding board member of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and served as president of the Tennessee Press Association. McElroy retired on Feb. 1, 2019, but continues to serve on the TCOG board and as the TPA representative on the State of Tennessee's Advisory Committee on Open Government.