MEDIA ADVISORY: U.N. speaker to link human rights and fake news

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein (courtesy of the United Nations)
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein (courtesy of the United Nations)

The high commissioner for human rights at the United Nations will discuss “fake news” as a human rights problem during the annual Charney Lecture at Vanderbilt Law School.

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein will speak at noon Wednesday, April 5, in Flynn Auditorium at Vanderbilt Law School. He will discuss the relationship between robust academic debate, fact-based reasoning, empirical research and the preservation of human dignity and basic rights.

The event is free and open to the public.

Al Hussein has served as the high commissioner for human rights at the U.N. since September 2014. He is the first Asian, Muslim and Arab to hold that office.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) strives to ensure that the human rights perspective is included in all U.N. programs and works with governments to promote and protect human rights through treaties, education, research and other advocacy.

Sponsored by the International Legal Studies Program at Vanderbilt, the event is made possible by the Jonathan I. Charney Distinguished Lecture in International Law. Charney, an international law expert, held the Lee S. and Charles A. Speir Chair at Vanderbilt Law School until his death in 2002.

Visitors should park in the Terrace Place Garage, spaces 41-92, at the corner of 21st Avenue South and Terrace Place, or the Wesley Place Garage, spaces 52-170, at the corner of 21st Avenue South and Scarritt Place. Parking costs range from $4 to $12 at these garages. Both are within walking distance of the law school.

WHAT: Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, high commissioner for human rights at the United Nations, delivers the Jonathan I. Charney Distinguished Lecture in International Law, commenting on the importance of accurate reporting to the cause of human rights.

WHERE: Flynn Auditorium at Vanderbilt Law School, 419 21st Ave. S.

WHEN: Noon on Wednesday, April 5