The former U.S. government spokesperson who criticized the Army for its treatment of a military prisoner accused of leaking classified documents to the media will discuss that incident and the related outcome -- including the loss of his job -- at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, when he presents the Ben Bronstein Lecture in Ethics and Public Relations at Penn State.
P.J. Crowley, former assistant secretary of state for public affairs and spokesman for the U.S. Department of State, will present a free public lecture titled "The Right to Know and the Need to Share: Sustaining a Credible Strategic Narrative in an Age of Terror, Political Turmoil and WikiLeaks" in the HUB-Robeson Center Auditorium.
Crowley was at the center of a heated incident in March when he criticized the Army's treatment of military prisoner Bradley Manning, who was accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks. Crowley’s critical remarks, made during a seminar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, led to his resignation.
"[The] unauthorized disclosure of classified information is a serious crime under U.S. law," he wrote in his letter of resignation. "[The] exercise of power in today's challenging times and relentless media environment must be prudent and consistent with our laws and values."
The Ben Bronstein Lecture in Ethics and Public Relations is presented by the Don Davis Program in Ethical Leadership and the College of Communications.
Alumnus Ben Bronstein, who earned his degree in journalism in 1961 and who has been a longtime supporter of the University, endowed the lecture in order to support ethics-related events as part of the core mission of the College of Communications.
During the 2011-12 academic year, Crowley is serving as the Omar Bradley Chair in Strategic Leadership in the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. While in residence, he will conduct classes in the law school, at the School of International Affairs at Dickinson College and at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle. Crowley's research and teaching interests will focus on national security policy, public diplomacy, and the impact of the global media environment on conflict, policy, and politics.
President Barack Obama nominated Crowley to be Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs in 2009. Previously, he served as President Bill Clinton’s special assistant for national security affairs and senior director of public affairs for the National Security Council.
Across a 30-year career in government, Crowley was a 26-year veteran of the Air Force and served in Turkey, Germany and at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He retired from the Air Force in 1999 as a colonel.
Bronstein was the founding director of public relations at the Penn State College of Medicine and Hershey Medical Center and held director positions in public relations at two statewide healthcare associations.
Bronstein, a member of the Mt. Nittany Society as a result of his lifetime contributions to the University, formerly served as president of the Lion's Paw Alumni Association and the Mount Nittany Conservancy.
The mission of the Don Davis Program in Ethical Leadership is to promote professional, academic and personal integrity within the community of the College of Communications at Penn State. The program has a special focus on the development of responsibility and integrity among undergraduates in the College as part of their preparation to be the principled leaders of tomorrow’s media institutions.