SGI-USA Hosts Lecture on Media, Ethics and Modern Warfare

May 23, 2012 - PRLog -- SANTA MONICA, CA – Soka Gakkai International-USA’s Culture of Peace Resource Center in Santa Monica will host a lecture with Evan Wright, an award-winning journalist, author of Generation Kill which chronicles his experience as an embedded journalist with the U.S. Marine Corps during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and producer and co-writer of the HBO series based on the book. Drawing on his reporting experiences from Iraq, Afghanistan and Navy operations in the North Arabian Gulf, Mr. Wright will explore ethical questions about how public perception of modern warfare is shaped by the mass media. The free lecture will take place on Saturday June 16 at 4:00pm in the SGI-USA Culture of Peace Resource Center (606 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica CA 90401). Free parking is available.

“With fewer than one percent of Americans serving in the wars fought since 9/11, perceptions of war have mostly been shaped by the news media, the Pentagon and the entertainment industry,” says Wright. “This brings up important ethical questions. Can reporters, Pentagon PR specialists and Hollywood producers be trusted with the truth? Can a democracy that outsources its war-fighting to a small segment of the population be trusted to wage war? I look forward to exploring these questions during my lecture.”  

“Mr. Wright has demonstrated excellence in military reporting and immersion journalism” say series organizer Ian McIlraith. “Furthermore, he has successfully translated his first hand experiences into film and television projects that have enriched public discourse on the ethical dimensions of war and peace. We feel very fortunate to have him continue this conversation at the local community-level here at the Culture of Peace Resource Center in Santa Monica.”

The Culture of Peace Resource Center in Santa Monica is one of five centers in the United States opened by Soka Gakkai International-USA with the support of former United Nations Under-Secretary-General Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury.

Soka Gakkai International-USA is a socially engaged Buddhist community promoting a culture of peace.