First Amendment Foundation

Miami Herald investigative journalist joins Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell for a live conversation on Epstein, accountability reporting and the pursuit of truth

WINTER PARK, Fla. — The First Amendment Foundation will present a special evening with acclaimed investigative journalist Julie K. Brown, whose groundbreaking reporting for the Miami Herald brought renewed national and international scrutiny to Jeffrey Epstein and the justice system that protected him.

“The Journalist Who Exposed Jeffrey Epstein: Julie K. Brown” will take place Wednesday, October 7, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Winter Park Events Center, 1050 W. Morse Blvd., Winter Park, Florida.

Brown will be joined by Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell for a candid conversation about how her investigation unfolded, the resistance and obstacles she encountered, what we know, what we still don’t and what the case reveals about power, secrecy, accountability and justice today.

Brown received a 2026 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for her groundbreaking 2017 and 2018 reporting exposing Epstein’s systematic abuse of young women, the justice system that protected him, and the powerful network of associates and enablers surrounding him. Her landmark Miami Herald series, Perversion of Justice, revealed how Epstein had received extraordinary treatment from prosecutors despite extensive allegations of sexual abuse.

Her reporting helped reopen public scrutiny of a case many believed had effectively been buried and demonstrated the extraordinary power of investigative journalism, public records and a free press to hold powerful institutions and individuals accountable.

“Julie Brown’s work represents the First Amendment in action,” said Bobby Block, executive director of the First Amendment Foundation. “Her work is an extraordinary reminder of why a free press and access to information matter—not simply to journalists, but to every citizen.

“This is about much more than one extraordinary investigation,” Block said. “It is about what happens when information is hidden, when institutions escape meaningful scrutiny and when journalists are willing to use the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment to bring facts into the light.”

Event Details

Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Time: 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Location: Winter Park Events Center
1050 W. Morse Blvd.
Winter Park, FL 32789
Tickets: $75

Tickets and additional information are available through the First Amendment Foundation’s Eventbrite event page and at FloridaFAF.org or via Eventbrite directly.

About the First Amendment Foundation

The First Amendment Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to protect, uphold and advance Florida’s commitment to free expression, a free press, open government and the public’s right to know.

For more than four decades, the Foundation has served journalists, citizens, attorneys, businesses, public officials and civic organizations across Florida by providing authoritative information and assistance on First Amendment, public-records and open-government issues as well as the publics’ right of free expression.

FAF has also been at the forefront of efforts to strengthen enforcement of Florida’s public-records laws and to ensure that citizens who are improperly delayed, denied or ignored when seeking government records have meaningful recourse.

The Foundation’s guiding principle is simple: Floridians have the right to speak, hear and know.

Date Posted: August 19, 2026