UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A free public screening — with a panel discussion to follow — of “Shock and Awe,” the new Rob Reiner film that recounts how journalists revealed the faulty "weapons of mass destruction" intelligence used by the Bush administration to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq, will be offered at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, at the State Theatre in State College.

The movie stars Jessica Biel, Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, James Marsden and Reiner.

Three of the real-life reporters depicted in the film will be on hand to participate in the panel discussion after the screening. Those three — Jonathan Landay (played by Harrelson), Warren Strobel (played by Marsden), and John Walcott (played by Reiner) — are all veteran national diplomatic and intelligence journalists now with the Washington news bureau of Thomson Reuters.

“This is a must-see event for anyone interested in understanding the power of good journalism during a defining moment of American history,” said Patrick Plaisance, the Don Davis Professor in Ethics and organizer of the screening and discussion. “We're really fortunate to have all three journalists depicted in the film here in the flesh.”

Tickets for the event are free, but a registration is required. Details are available on the State Theatre’s website. 

The event is presented by the Don Davis Program in Ethical Leadership, housed in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.