Fox News host Tucker Carlson will deliver the 2018 Roy H. Park Distinguished Lecture at UNC in April.

The UNC School of Media and Journalism made the announcement this week.

Carlson is the host of Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News. Carlson took over the time slot formerly held by Bill O’Reilly before his exodus from the cable news network due to sexual misconduct allegations – a story that was reported in part by a UNC alumna.

Carlson has hosted programming across varying cable networks, including CNN and MSNBC.

UNC officials say the public event at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 12, will include Carlson’s lecture on “today’s political landscape, including candid commentary on the latest insider political news out of Washington, D.C.” The event will also include a moderated discussion with associate professor Daniel Kreiss and three students in the MJ school.

Carlson is the third consecutive Fox News employee to deliver the Park Lecture, following Chris Wallace and Brit Hume. Former Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes was the Park Lecturer in 2012. Ailes was also forced from Fox News after sexual misconduct allegations.

Carlson’s selection drew criticism from some on social media who derided the decision to bring in the host from the conservative cable news giant.

UNC MJ School professor John Robinson wrote a blog post as a response to the public backlash. Robinson, who describes himself as a liberal in the post, says that Carlson’s visit and speech are “valuable” to the students.

“School is a place where you learn from people with different experiences and different ideas,” Robinson wrote. “It’s intellectually healthy.”

Robinson added that exploring ideas from both sides of the political aisle is “part of the job” as a reporter and that the students “can handle ideas across the spectrum.”

“Despite what Fox News commentators would like you to believe,” Robinson wrote, “students in the Journalism School aren’t snowflakes.”

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