FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington Will Be Featured Speaker at Oct. 19 Virtual Event

FOR RELEASE: August 5, 2022

Contact: Richard T. Kaplar
The Media Institute
703-506-8030

Vienna, Va., August 5, 2022 – The Media Institute will honor Lester Holt, anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News” and anchor of “Dateline NBC,” and renowned documentary filmmaker Ken Burns at its annual “Free Speech America” Gala on Oct. 19.

Lester Holt will receive the Freedom of Speech Award, while Ken Burns will receive the American Horizon Award.  FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington will be the Featured Speaker at the event, to be held in virtual format.  The master of ceremonies will be noted communications attorney Richard E. Wiley of Wiley Rein LLP.

Lester Holt is the anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt,” the network’s flagship broadcast, as well as the anchor of “Dateline NBC.”  Mr. Holt also leads NBC News special reports, breaking news, and primetime political coverage.  He has spent the past four decades in journalism, reporting from breaking news events across the globe.

Ken Burns has been making documentary films for more than 40 years.  His films have won 16 Emmy Awards and two Oscar nominations.  His upcoming film “The U.S. and the Holocaust” will premiere over three nights (Sept. 18-20) on PBS.  His decades-long collaboration with PBS has made him not only a household name but a significant force in the public broadcasting realm.

FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2020.  Previously, he was a senior advisor at the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA), senior corporate counsel, and an attorney in private practice.

Master of Ceremonies Dick Wiley is Chairman Emeritus of Wiley Rein LLP and is a former FCC chairman.  He serves as Chairman of the Board of The Media Institute.

The Freedom of Speech Award recognizes an individual who has worked to advance free speech, a free press, and the First Amendment.  The American Horizon Award recognizes an individual for visionary leadership in the communications industry.

The Media Institute is a nonprofit foundation specializing in communications policy and the First Amendment.  For more information, visit the Institute online at www.mediainstitute.org.

# # #