 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Newsradio 620 WTMJ host Jeff Wagner speaks to the society Photos of the event (click on the image for a larger photo) |
||||
|
||||
|
By Mark Kapocius
Jeff Wagner, of WTMJ radio, spoke to the Federalist Society on October 22nd. Wagner gave a speech on "Lawyers and the Media: Balancing Obligations to the Public and the Client."
Wagner hosts a top-rated talk radio program on WTMJ radio. Prior to his current position, Wagner was a prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney's Office for eleven and a half years after his graduation from Marquette University Law School in 1982. In 1993, Wagner went into private practice and was the 1994 Republican candidate for State Attorney General narrowly losing to the current governor, Jim Doyle.
The student audience was entertained by Wagner's humor and anecdotes, as well as with his intended message: media and the law. Wagner started off with the proposition that all people have biases, including the media. Biases are not necessarily bad, and often biases can be a helpful. For example, a bias leads to us to follow our passions. The problem, however, is when we fail to recognize our bias, or worse, pretend that a bias doesn't exist. This is one of the reasons that talk radio has been so popular, according to Wagner. Traditional media outlets don't acknowledge their bias.
Wagner spoke about the impact that media has on the legal profession, both positively and negatively. In the "old days," lawyers would not deal with the media, preferring to let the court record speak for itself. Now, lawyers can't avoid the media. As such, lawyers need to recognize these differences and Wagner offered the following advice: First, be accessible to media, second, do not lie, or at least say that you cannot comment, and third, don't get angry.
Finally, Wagner spoke about the
responsibilities of being a member of the legal community including
making a contribution to society. "You've been given a lot and you have
an obligation to serve," said Wagner.
|
