TUSCALOOSA - Tom Bennett, Atlanta Journal-Constitution editor and a national freedom of information leader, will give a lecture at The University of Alabama on Monday, Dec. 9, at 6:30 p.m. in 216 Phifer Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

His lecture is titled "Opening the Thicket," and it will discuss a plan to conduct a public records access survey of Alabama's 67 counties in 2003. College students, journalists and others from throughout the state will participate in the survey.

Following Bennett's lecture, there will be a panel presentation and discussion of Freedom of Information issues. Bennett, representatives of local and student media, local government and University faculty will serve on the panel.

"Tom Bennett will share information that is the government reporter's best friend," said Dr. Ed Mullins, chair of the journalism department and former Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial staff member. "He knows more about the traditions and laws of openness than any journalist I know. Any citizen, student or professional journalist who has ever been denied access or who wants to learn more about how to gain access to public meetings or documents will not want to miss this meeting."

Bennett is a 1965 graduate of Florida State University. He has been with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for almost 20 years, working as a writer and editor in sports and news and in administration. He is a vocal advocate of open meetings and records and founded the Georgia First Amendment Foundation. He served as host of the National Freedom of Information Coalition's Atlanta meeting in 1999. Bennett has served as the Society of Professional Journalist's sunshine chair in Georgia since 1994.

Bennett is serving as an unpaid consultant for Alabama's audit, a project of the Alabama Associated Press Managing Editors Association and ALACOG, the state's FOI organization housed in the journalism department (www.alacog.org). Gregory Enns, managing editor of the Tuscaloosa News, is chair of the survey.

Bennett is the author of several books, including "Atlanta's Half-Century: Through the Eyes of Furman Bisher and Celestine Sibley;" "The Pro Style: A Guide to Understanding the NFL;" "The NFL's Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football;" and "NFL Playbook."

Bennett is the Elmo Ellis Professional in Residence for the journalism department in the College of Communication and Information Sciences, and earlier in the day he will meet with the student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and student publication staffs.

Elmo Ellis Scholars are funded by an endowment contributed by Elmo Ellis of Atlanta. He was the only UA student to serve as chief editor for the three major campus publications -- the Crimson White, the Corolla and the Rammer-Jammer. Today Ellis is an author, vice president emeritus of Cox Communications and an active columnist. He is a member of the C&IS Hall of Fame, a National Alumnus of the Year, and recipient of the Hugo Black Award, the University's highest honor.

The College of Communication & Information Sciences is among the largest and most prestigious communication colleges in the nation. Graduating more than 12,000 students, C&IS is consistently ranked among the top 10 in number of doctoral degrees awarded and in many of its research programs. C&IS graduates have won four of the six Pulitzer Prizes awarded to University of Alabama alumni, and the forensics and debate squad, housed within the College, has garnered 14 national championships.