About 300 people filled two rooms at UW’s Pyle Center on Dec. 2 to hear Anthony Shadid, a UW alumnus and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, describe the grim impact of the 
Iraq War on the country.
Shadid’s talk, the centerpiece of a two-day visit to UW-Madison, was organized by the Center for Journalism Ethics in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic Religions.
Shadid spoke to a packed alumni lounge which filled up quickly before the talk, requiring other attendees to listen to an audio of his talk in an overflow room. Wisconsin Public Television recorded the talk and will broadcast the lecture at a future date.
Shadid, deputy bureau chief for the New York Times in Baghdad, said the future of Iraq is uncertain, and the bloodshed and destruction has been so great that it will take a generation before the country will start to recover. He cautioned against simplistic narratives about the conflict, such as the view that the war was a “success.”
Despite the problems, Shadid maintained that the United States has a moral responsibility to not abandon the country.
The buzz on campus and in the media about Shadid’s lecture shows there is a large appetite for public discussion on media and major issues,” said Stephen J. A. Ward, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics. “I hope it can be the first in a series of public lectures on journalism and ethics.
While in Madison, Shadid visited a journalism ethics class, did interviews with National Public Radio and other outlets, spoke at a student lunch, and had breakfast with leading Madison journalists.
Shadid’s visit was sponsored by the Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic Religions, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the UW Lectures Committee, and the Wisconsin State Journal. Additional logistical support was provided by the Middle East Studies Program.
Pictures, stories and video of the lecture can be accessed at the web site for the Center for Journalism Ethics, ethics.journalism.wisc.edu
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