LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication hosted CNN military and diplomatic analyst Rear Admiral John Kirby USN (ret) and Vice President of Government Operations Communications at The Boeing Company Gordon Johndroe for “Classified Communications: Messaging for National Security and Foreign Affairs” on April 8. The event was sponsored by Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs, Cornerstone Government Affairs and Taylor Porter. The Summit focused on how mass communication professionals cover and disperse military, foreign affairs and national security information, and investigated the methods the military and national security organizations use to keep the public informed in peacetime, conflict and war.

The Summit is the Reilly Center’s second annual Academy of Applied Politics Speaker Series, a premiere program featuring renowned communication and political thought leaders. Last year’s event, From the President to the Press Briefing: Exploring the Role of the Presidential Press Secretary, hosted former presidential press secretaries Ari Fleischer, press secretary for President George W. Bush, and Mike McCurry, who served under President Clinton.

LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication ranks among the top schools of mass communication and journalism in the country, with its robust emphasis on media and public affairs. It offers undergraduate degrees in public relations, journalism, political communication, digital advertising and pre-law; and four graduate degree programs: Ph.D. in media and public affairs, master of mass communication, dual MMC/law degree and a graduate certificate in strategic communication. Its public relations, digital advertising and student media teams frequently earn national recognition, including the  2018 national Bateman Case Study Competition of the Public Relations Student Society of America.

The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs is partnership-driven, action-oriented, and dedicated to exploring contemporary issues at the intersection of mass communication and public life. Its interdisciplinary approach draws together experts from diverse fields to advance research and dialogue. The intent is to inspire our communities to think deeply, take action, develop solutions and broaden knowledge. Underlying the Center’s endeavors is to strengthen and advance the Manship School’s national and state leadership in media and politics.

Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc. is a full-service, bipartisan public affairs firm with 80+ professionals and offices in Washington, DC, Annapolis, MD, Atlanta, GA, Austin, TX, Baton Rouge, LA, Chicago, IL, Des Moines, IA, Houston, TX, Jackson, MS, and Springfield, IL.  Cornerstone represents a diverse group of clients from myriad industries and sectors, and maintains expertise in a wide range of issue areas, including agriculture, cyber security, defense, education, energy, health, homeland security, international affairs, tax policy, telecommunications, and transportation and infrastructure.  For more information, please visit Cornerstone’s website at www.cgagroup.com

Founded in 1912, Taylor Porter is Louisiana’s Law Firm® with more than 100 years of a strong tradition of a commitment to excellence and to a high level of quality, client service reflected in our long-standing relationships with many local, regional, and national clients across a variety of industries and diverse practice areas. Taylor Porter is the exclusive Louisiana law firm member for MSI Global Alliance, enabling the Firm to source reliable, local expertise wherever in the world clients are involved in doing business. Taylor Porter provides community service to more than 100 nonprofit organizations and leadership agencies across the state of Louisiana, embraced the role of “corporate citizen.” Taylor Porter is the proud recipient of the 2018 Better Business Bureau of South Central Louisiana Torch Award in Ethics.