Ouachita to host Rex Nelson in “News and Fake News” lecture Oct. 24

The School of Humanities at Ouachita Baptist University will host Rex Nelson, senior editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, in a lecture Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Hickingbotham Hall’s Young Auditorium. His lecture, “News and Fake News,” is part of Ouachita’s Birkett Williams Endowed Lecture Series.

“Amid all the confusion about journalism today, we are pleased to have a senior editor of the state’s leading newspaper talk about the future of journalism,” said Dr. Jeff Root, dean of Ouachita’s School of Humanities. “Rex Nelson has been at the forefront of news coverage in Arkansas for decades. We are proud he is a Ouachita graduate and excited he is coming back to campus to speak on this topic.”

Nelson also is a columnist for the Democrat-Gazette and writes a blog titled “Southern Fried,” focusing on southern culture and cuisine. He previously served as director of corporate communications for Simmons Bank, president of Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities, senior vice president of government relations and public outreach for The Communications Group, Inc. and was a presidential appointee to the Delta Regional Authority, working on economic development projects in an eight-state region.

Nelson is a native of Arkadelphia and a 1981 graduate of Ouachita Baptist University. He also is in his 35th season as the radio voice of Ouachita football. The Rex Nelson Radio Booth in Cliff Harris Stadium’s Dunklin Family Press Box was named in his honor in 2015.

Ouachita’s Birkett Williams lecture series was established in 1977 through a gift from the late Birkett L. Williams, a 1910 Ouachita graduate. His generous endowment established the lectures as an opportunity to extend the concepts of a liberal arts education beyond the classroom by bringing renowned scholars and public figures to Ouachita’s campus.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Jeff Root, dean of the School of Humanities, at 870-245-4186 or rootj@obu.edu.