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Oral History: Jay Bender

Remembering eyewitnesses to history

Oral History of S.C. Newspapers

Jay Bender

S.C. Press Association Attorney
Columbia, SC

SCPA Attorney covers legal issues faced by newspapers

Bender recalls important cases for free presses in South Carolina.

Video Interview

This video has been edited for length. If you’d like to listen to the full raw audio from our interview with Jay Bender, contact SCPA.

Photo Gallery

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Jay Bender
SCPA Attorney Jay Bender meets with the press outside the Charleston County Judicial Center after the Dylann Roof hearing in September 2015.
SCPA Attorney Jay Bender meets with the press outside the Charleston County Judicial Center after the Dylann Roof hearing in September 2015.
Jay Bender in his law school days. (Picture from Osceola)
Jay Bender in his law school days. (Picture from Osceola)
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Jay Bender stands with Rep. Weston Newton, Gov. Henry McMaster and Rep. Bill Taylor at a ceremonial bill signing for the FOIA reform bill that passed in 2017.
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The South Carolina Press Association held its Annual Meeting at the Hilton Columbia Center. GWINN DAVIS MEDIA GWINN DAVIS PHOTOS gwinndavisphotos.com (website) (864) 915-0411 (cell) gwinndavis@gmail.com (e-mail) Gwinn Davis (FaceBook) National Press Photographers Association SC News Exchange SC Press Association
Jay Bender
Jay with his twin brother.
Jay with his twin brother.
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Jay Bender and the late John C. Shurr, former S.C. Associated Press Bureau Chief and SCPA FOI Chair.
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Jay Bender and Bill Rogers present Barbara Ball, publisher of The Voice of Blythewood, with the Jay Bender Award for Assertive Journalism in 2018. The award recognizes a journalist who stands up to authority in the public’s interest.
Bender and wife, Anne, at Presidential Inauguration.
Jay Bender and wife, Anne, at Presidential Inauguration.
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SCPA held a retirement roast for Attorney Jay Bender in 2016. Proceeds from the event benefited the FOI Fund, which helps newspapers fight open government battles.
The South Carolina Press Association held its 2016 Annual Meeting and Awards Presentation in Columbia.
Jay Bender received SCPA’s first Lifetime Achievement Award at the Annual Meeting in 2016. He's pictured with Executive Director Bill Rogers and Past SCPA President Judi Burns.
Jay Bender
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Bender speaks at his retirement roast on April 22, 2016, at The Palmetto Club in Columbia.
Jay Bender judging a BBQ contest.
Bender speaks at his retirement roast on April 22, 2016, at The Palmetto Club in Columbia.
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Bender has donated pieces of his mixed media art to raise money for SCPA's FOI Fund. This 2016 original painting was dedicated to the Emanuel Nine.

Related Links

Biography

Born: July 16, 1944 in Hominy, Oklahoma

Newspaper History:

  • Counsel of SCPA and member newspapers since the early 1980’s
  • Media Law professor at the University of South Carolina

Honors and Awards:

  • First recipient of Reid H. Montgomery Freedom of Information Chair at USC
  •  SCPA Distinguished Service Award

Education:

  • B.A. in Journalism from the University of South Carolina 1970
  • J.D. from the University of South Carolina 1975

Military Service: U.S. Army 1962-1966

Family: Married to Anne Cushman; children are Todd, Edward and Sumner Bender; stepdaughter Elizabeth Wiggers; six grandchildren

SCPA's oral history project is dedicated to preserving the heritage of our state's journalists and newspapers.

View other interviews

This program is funded by the South Carolina Humanities Council, whose mission is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. This program is co-sponsored by the University of South Carolina’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications.