The 26th annual Virginia Festival of the Book will host a program on the importance of journalism in democracy on March 19.

The free program "Who Will Write the Story? The Critical Role of Local Journalism," is scheduled for 4 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 605 E. Main Street.

A panel of Katrice Hardy, executive editor of the Greenville News; Eric Lichtblau, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist; and Lewis Raven Wallace, an independent journalist and author, in a discussion with Marcia Bullard, a retired CEO of USA WEEKEND, will examine the critical role of local journalism as well as the threats facing it.

The program is sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Federation of State Humanities Councils, and is hosted by The Daily Progress, Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism, Virginia Library Association and the Virginia Press Association

This program is part of the Democracy and the Informed Citizen initiative, administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils. The initiative seeks to deepen the publics knowledge and appreciation of the vital connections between democracy, the humanities, journalism and an informed citizenry.

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The Daily Progress to sponsor Virginia Festival of the Book event - The Daily Progress