Nationally-known journalist Erick Erickson will take part in Troy University’s annual journalism symposium on Friday.

Erickson is best known as a Fox news contributor, talk radio host and blogger. He is editor-in-chief of the Washington blog RedState.com and plans to speak on “Insta-Journalism and the Need for Slow.”

Troy University’s annual M. Stanton Evans Symposium on Money, Politics and the Media is geared toward exposing students and the community to successful professionals in their fields.

Erickson practiced law for six years, has managed political campaigns, and has appeared on Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report.” After three years as a CNN contributor, he is now a Fox News contributor and a host on Atlanta’s WSB radio. He is co-author of the book “RedState Uprising” and writes “Morning Briefing,” a daily email widely read by conservative pundits and activists.

“Erickson has grabbed his (Republican) party’s power brokers by their elephant-stitched suspenders,” Newsweek wrote. The London Telegraph named him the 65th most influential conservative in America in 2010.

Erickson is a graduate of Mercer University and its law school. He lives in Macon, Ga., where he once served as a city council member.

The event will start at 10 a.m. in the ballroom of the Trojan Center, the student center. The public is invited. Admission is free. The Hall School of Journalism and Communication and the Sorrell College of Business’ Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy are sponsoring the event.