Published on: November 26th, 2024

Hillsdale College Hosts Larry O’Connor as Spring 2024 Pulliam Fellow

Radio Host Larry O’Connor spoke on “The Media and the 2024 Election.”

HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College hosted Larry O’Connor, radio host from WMAL in D.C., as the fall 2024 Eugene C. Pulliam distinguished visiting fellow in journalism from Oct. 21-30. While on campus, O’Connor taught a one-credit journalism seminar for Hillsdale students on broadcasting and podcasting. O’Connor gave a public lecture on Oct. 22 titled “The Media and the 2024 Election.”

O’Connor discussed the importance of a free and fair press and how media malfeasance and government-directed censorship have violated Americans’ First Amendment rights.

“The fact is, Madison and Hamilton and all the other founders in Philadelphia in 1789 did not ensure the freedom of the press so a future Jim Acosta could get a press pass and grandstand at a press conference about immigration law, and it was not so a future president couldn’t send out mean tweets about George Stephanopoulos,” O’Connor said. “It was about the people. People need freedom of the press because we cannot survive as a constitutional republic unless we have a fair and uninfringed press in this country.”

 

O’Connor works for WMAL in D.C. as the radio host of “O’Connor & Company,” in which he discusses breaking news with his guests and listeners. O’Connor previously worked in management for various Broadway theaters for more than 20 years. After meeting Andrew Breitbart, O’Connor changed careers, serving as editor of Breitbart.tv and then filling in as a guest host on various radio programs, including the nationally syndicated “Dennis Miller Show,” before joining WMAL in 2012.

As a Pulliam fellow, O’Connor joins a list of notable journalists who have lent their skills to Hillsdale College, including Alexandra DeSanctis, Andrew Klavan, and Kimberley Strassel. Pulliam fellows enjoy a two-week residency on Hillsdale’s campus and teach a week-and-a-half, one-credit course in the Journalism Department. This semester, nine students took the course, titled “Broadcasting and Podcasting.” Fellows also consult with students who work on The Collegian, the College’s student-run newspaper.

For photos from the lecture, click here.

For a high-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo, click here.

About Hillsdale in D.C.

Hillsdale in D.C. is an extension of the teaching mission of Hillsdale College to Washington, D.C. Its purpose is to teach the Constitution and the principles that give it meaning. Through the study of original source documents from American history—and of older books that formed the education of America’s founders—it seeks to inspire students, teachers, citizens, and policymakers to return the America’s principles to their central place in the political life of the nation.

About Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College is an independent liberal arts college located in southern Michigan. Founded in 1844, the College has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis, with a circulation of more than 5.7 million. For more information, visit hillsdale.edu.