usc law family >> 2018 commencement
Washington Post Publisher USC Gould alumnus Fred Ryan (JD 1980) urges new lawyers to keep pace with ‘disruptive change’ By Gilien Silsby Below: Fred Ryan and Dean Guzman (center) celebrate with representatives from the class of 2018.
In a speech that highlighted important parallels between the press and the law, Washington Post Publisher and USC Gould alum Fred Ryan returned to campus to offer words of encouragement and observations for the future lawyers. While much of Ryan’s career has been in media, he pointed out thorny challenges and urgent responsibilities facing both lawyers and journalists in today’s “fake news” environment. “Both of these professions are essential to America’s identity as a nation of laws under our unique Constitution,” said Ryan, a member of USC’s Board of Trustees, and a 1980 USC Gould and 1977 USC Annenberg graduate. “Today, however, both of these noble professions are being tested — by the impact of advances in technology, as well as by people deliberately seeking to chip away at these institutions and disrupt our civic order.”
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The outcomes of these trials are unpredictable, yet consequential, he added. “It’s no exaggeration to say that how you respond to these challenges — how you choose to practice the vocation you are about to begin — will be felt by your profession and by society for years to come.” Since Ryan took the helm of the Washington Post in 2014, reporters have broken countless stories and served as the ever-present watchdog for representatives in Washington, and won five Pulitzer Prizes. The Post has also undergone a digital transformation with a big payoff — the publication has tripled its web traffic and gained a significant national and international presence. “As new technologies emerge, we want to be on the front line,” said Ryan. “So far, compared to other industries, the legal profession has been relatively shielded from technological disruption. But it would be naïve to assume that the status quo will remain forever. In fact, the legal industry is ripe for transformation.”
