School of Communication director Larry
Gross (pictured, left) was elected president of the International Communication Association for
the 2011-2012 term, making him the third USC Annenberg faculty member to head
the ICA. Additionally, communication professor Kwan Min
Lee (pictured, below right) was named vice chair/future chair of the
ICA's Communication and Technology Division (2 years as vice chair and 2 years
as chair). Gross' and Lee's duties at USC Annenberg are not affected by the
election.
Communication professors Peter
Monge and Margaret
McLaughlin were presidents of the ICA from 1997 to 1998 and from
1990 to 1991, respectively.
"As a member of the ICA for nearly 40 years, I am proud of its
accomplishments and in particular of its serious commitment in recent years to
supporting and engaging with communication scholars who pursue various paths,
with scholarship that crosses many disciplines and epistemological perspectives,
and with scholars and scholarship from many parts of the world," Gross said in
his presidential
candidate statement. "
As president, I hope to take ICA to new levels in
addressing these challenges, for both existing and future members of the
association."
Said Lee: "I am humbled by the strong support from my colleagues in
the Communication and Technology (CAT) Division. CAT is the second largest, and
most rapidly growing division in ICA with more than 800 current members. It is
an honor for me to be selected to lead the division in the next four years among
the three strong candidates. Put together, these election results vividly show
the strong national and international reputation of USC Annenberg and its
faculty members."
Other communication professors involved or recently involved in leadership
roles with the ICA include Janet
Fulk, who is vice chair of the Organizational Communication
Division; Sandra
Ball-Rokeach, who is an ICA Fellow and recently served as Chair of
the Mass Communication Division; and Michael
Cody, who is editor of the ICA's flagship Journal
of Communication. Monge and Gross are among only seven ICA members who
are elected Fellows, won the Aubrey
Fisher Mentorship Award and have been elected president.
"I hope to help sustain ICA's previous levels of excellence, expanding
opportunities for public involvement, respecting and incorporating multiple
vantage points, and moving the organization towards a fuller engagement with the
emerging internationalized digital era," Gross said.
ICA is an academic association for scholars interested in the study,
teaching, and application of all aspects of human and mediated communication.
ICA began more than 50 years ago as a small association of U.S. researchers and
is now a truly international association with more than 4,200 members in 80
countries. Since 2003, ICA has been officially associated with the United
Nations as a non-governmental association (NGO).
"USC Annenberg has a long history of leadership in our field’s leading
organizations such as the ICA, the National Communication Association and the
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication," Lee said. "ICA
is undoubtedly the most important academic association in the field of
communication. Professor Gross has been a dedicated leader for our field and
played many important roles in shaping the direction of the field. The results
of this election clearly reflect our field’s deep appreciation of his leadership
and continuing suppor for his vision."
International Communication
Association
Gross'
Presidential Candidate Statement
Communication and journalism professor Felix Gutierrez
recently spoke and led a 
panel discussion on Voices for Justice: 200 Years
of Latino Newspapers in the United States, where he discussed the
liberation of Latinos through more than two centuries of newspapers and other
media. Video of the entire night, which broke the record for most RSVPs for a
USC Annenberg event in the auditorium and had standing-room-only space, is
available here.
"Tonight’s theme is liberation," Gutierrez said. "It’s liberation in terms of
what we do as academics in terms of research, scholarship — in this case
archives, going into microfilm, going into musty, dusty places, flipping over
newspapers and finding things — in some cases people’s garages."
Gutierrez expanded on his theme of liberation.
"Taking newspapers out of archives and storehouses so more people can see
what they say, what they're like. Translating liberation in terms of language
— from Spanish to English — so that people who are not fortunate enough to know
the Spanish language can read and hear and understand what Spanish language
newspapers were saying 150 years ago, 200 years ago, or even yesterday."
The discussion kicked off a month-long exhibit in the east lobby of
the USC Annenberg building that showcases key Latino newspapers, journalists and
history. The exhibit runs through the end of October. Panelists included
Mónica Lozano, publisher and CEO of La Opinión, the nation’s
largest Spanish-language daily newspaper; Nicolás Kanellos,
University of Houston professor and author of Hispanic Periodicals in the
United States; and Ray Telles,
documentary filmmaker and winner of three Emmys.
“Latinos and their media are a greater force than ever in the United States
today," Dean Ernest
J. Wilson III said. "This
point was driven home with the massive peaceful demonstrations for immigration
reform across the country that occurred in the spring of 2006. We also saw it in
the presidential election of 2008, and the Latino swing vote played a very, very
important role in key states in the election of the current President of the
United States, Barack Obama. Many pundits see these events as new forces on the
American scene, but neither Latinos nor their media are new to the United
States. Both have been an important part of this country for more than 200
years.”
The event was organized by USC Annenberg and was co-sponsored by the
Annenberg Latino Student Association (ALSA), El Centro Chicano and the
Department of American Studies and Ethnicity. Students, including those from the
ALSA, said they were happy to see such a large turnout at the event.
Denise Lengyeltoti, a senior majoring in Public Relations,
said she didn't know the extent of how many Latino newspapers there were in the
United States in the past 200 years.
"There's such a long history," said Lengyeltoti, adding that Lozano taught
her a lot during the panel discussion. "She spoke about how Latino newspapers
were delivered throughout the country by train, and how it's progressed to
radio, television and online journalism."
Isaac Cuchilla (B.A. Print Journalism '10) said he was
impressed to hear the speakers and see the exhibit, which both taught him a lot
about the history of Spanish language media.
"It was unbelievable," Cuchilla said. "Latinos in media came to fight to make
sure people get the proper respect and are treated as equals. It's just
great."
Manny Miranda, a senior majoring in Communication, said he
was excited the event could pack the biggest room in the Annenberg building.
"I thought it was amazing that they found these newspapers in so many
different places," Miranda said. "With events like these, who knows what other
historical documents might turn up."
Said Dean Wilson: "We are here to
recognize an American story. It’s a newspaper story, it’s a journalism story and
it’s an American story.”
Video
Event
photos
The Hispanic Public Relations Association awarded
USC Annenberg students four of its eight scholarships, which were
created to recognize outstanding undergraduate Hispanic students who
are pursuing careers in public relations and related communications
fields.
Communication students Ben Gutierrez, Manuel Miranda and Tanya Prouty, and Public Relations student Jocelyn Torres (also Political Science) all attended a recent awards ceremony where they were honored for their achievements.
"The HPRA scholarship program is important because Hispanic communication professionals continue to be in high demand," said Ivette Zurita, HPRA President. "As an organization we want to foster Hispanic talent by helping students enter and advance in the industry."
The
scholarship program was created to recognize outstanding undergraduate
Hispanic students who are pursuing careers in public relations and
related communications fields. Since its inception, the HPRA
scholarship program has awarded more than $210,000 to Latino students
pursuing a career in communications or a related field.
"When
I received the news that I had won the scholarship I felt relieved,"
said Torres, a junior from Las Vegas. "Being a college student in this
tough economic time, extra money is always great news. I was surprised
to see that half of the scholarship recipients were from USC, and that
they were students I knew from Annenberg."
"I feel blessed
and honored to be recognized by the Hispanic Public Relations
Association," Miranda said. "I believe the organization does a
tremendous job of providing support for young Hispanic professionals in
the fields of communication. I am truly grateful and hope to work with
the Hispanic Public Relations Association throughout my future
endeavors."
About HPRA:
HPRA
was founded in 1984 as a non-profit organization to establish a network
of Hispanics employed in the public relations profession in the
Southern California area. HPRA now has members nationwide representing
public relations, marketing and advertising professionals from
agencies, government, non-profit and corporations. HPRA is dedicated to
the advancement of Hispanic professionals and provides educational
seminars and workshops throughout the year. The organization has
awarded more than $210,000 in scholarships to Latino students pursuing
a career in communications during the last 25 years. HPRA strives to be
a resource for communications professionals and for those seeking
insights into the Hispanic market. For more information, please visit http://www.hpra-usa.org.
More
Political expert and CNN senior political analyst David Gergen praised the USC Annenberg School's recent name change and congratulated Dean Ernest J. Wilson III (pictured, below right) and the School's faculty during an Oct. 8 lecture at USC's Bovard Auditorium.
Gergen, speaking as part of the President's Distinguished Lecture Series at USC, discussed the state of p
olitics, journalism and leadership in front of an audience of more than 1,000.
"Is
there a way we can lift the quality of the discourse in the country?
Can we get away from the lunacy and vitriol that we've reached?"
He
then commended USC Annenberg on its name change to the USC Annenberg
School for Communication & Journalism, saying it is a positive step
that represents the importance of journalism in the United States.
"You
have a great new dean here," Gergen said, adding that Dean Wilson is
working with faculty and colleagues to help ensure the integrity and
professionalism of the media industry.
He also described the
decline in the quality of American political commentary and the
weakening of American journalism. He said journalists trained at a
place such as USC Annenberg could help improve the current state of
journalism.
Gergen is a professor of public service at
Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government and director of its
Center for Public Leadership. He is also editor-at-large for U.S. News
& World Report and a Senior Political Analyst for CNN. In earlier
years, he served as a White House adviser to Presidents Clinton,
Reagan, Ford and Nixon.
*Rohan Venkataramakrishnan, a junior majoring in Print Journalism, contributed to this story.
Daily Trojan article on Gergen's visit
Communication professor Stacy Smith
(pictured) was one of four professors awarded the USC Parents
Association Teaching and Mentoring Award, which honors faculty members
who have inspired students to achieve both in and outside of the
classroom. The award—and the $1,000 honorarium that comes with it—is
given to professors selected by USC parents and students.
USC parents Marilou and Mark Hamill wrote in their nomination of Stacy, “She has such passion for her classes that it ignites the student’s enthusiasm."
Additional nominators Patricia and Harry Schned
said, "Our daughter looks forward to attending this class. [Stacy]
makes the students interested in both the subject matter and her
research on media effects on children."
Their daughter Jessica agreed.
"Her ability to relate to students inside the classroom is phenomenal.
She encouraged me to speak out in class and taught me to never be
afraid to challenge the subject matter because new opinions are always
necessary in research," she wrote.
Smith was flattered to
accept the honor.
"I find that the classroom is one of the most
intellectually invigorating arenas on campus," she said. "I am
constantly inspired by our undergraduate students and in awe of their
curiosity, motivation, and hunger for knowledge. As such, I was
thrilled simply to be nominated for this award."
The four
professors will be recognized on Oct. 22 at a USC Parents Association
reception. The other three recipients of the award are Steve Lamy, Brian Rathbun, and Julia Plotts.
By Jonathan Arkin
Student Writer
Knight Digital Media Center director
Vikki Porter (pictured, left) and journalism professor
Dana Chinn presented a discussion on “Web analytics: Finding the mea
ning in the metrics” at USC Annenberg’s Oct. 13 Journalism Director’s Forum.
Discussing
how online audience behavior and attitudes can be studied and changed
using metrics, Porter said, journalists can understand what engages
audiences and what may drive them away from web sites.
“I’m
really impressed that you’re here…these are numbers that more than ever
before really matter,” Porter said, adding that her former milieu of
print had changed its business focus from circulation to user
interaction and engagement – and that in her 10-year association with
Chinn, Porter saw the value in Chinn’s adherence to an unpopular stance
vis-à-vis those business models. “(Chinn) had to arm wrestle a lot of
editors. A lot of those editors have now lost their jobs.”
Drawing
from her recent presentations for the Knight Digital Media Center and
the Online News Association, Chinn explained how to use the basic
metrics for websites – the measures of unique visitors, visits, page
views – and social media such as Twitter’s followers and content
applications and she drew the differences between web and traditional
media audience behavior and how advertising-based business models have
changed.
“When I moved from newspaper
marketing, the fact that we could measure everything as a media
product…was very exciting,” Chinn said, adding that the only numbers
that compelled news organizations in years past were “total audiences”
and that web analytics explored the subtleties of systemic data.
“E-commerce companies live and die by their numbers. What I found was
that news organizations do not live and die by their numbers…that’s why
I am trying to get into newsrooms and tell them that they need to live
and die by web analytics.”
Chinn said that the
two parts of web analytics – behavioral research, or what people do
when they are online, and attitudinal research of what people say they
do when they visited a site, tells online business owners and news
organizations not only who their audiences are and what they are doing,
but what they are thinking as well.
“If you
look at Twitter, you can understand how web analytics work,” said Chinn
of the actions of hashtagging, commenting and linking in a pithy
140-character post. “And it all starts with having the perfect
measurable Tweet. The first tweet is a call to action.”
She
added that it was important to add attitudinal research if websites
want to improve the quality and quantity of their traffic – “knowing
the people behind the click” – and that although page visit statistics
and other behavioral research represents pieces of information, it is
not everything.
“You never will know what the
real number is,” Chinn said of an over-reliance on strictly behavioral
data. “It’s not going to help you understand your audiences. It’s not
going to help you improve your site… It is a piece of information, but
it is only part of the picture…The only way to build audiences and to
improve engagement is to do traditional research. You really need to
know the why. You’d better ask them in a traditional survey.”
The
idea of measuring “unique visits” – statistics based on how many times
a computer logs on to a site – may result in over or undercounted site
visits and therefore incomplete data, but new formulae using page view
stats, visits per weekly unique visitor, metrics of page views per
visit per week, plus “bounce rates” of entry pages, Chinn said, would
be good gauges in measuring how compelling web content is for specific
audiences.
“Are visitors coming to your site
with the frequency required to build a loyal, devoted following?” Chinn
said, also showing how web analytics could be used as tools for
analyzing and individualizing content – and that niche audiences can
also be measured in such ways, perhaps showing why people would not
visits specific sites.
Chinn and Porter both
said that newsrooms never had to worry about circulation before, and
that much retraining and understanding will have to follow the
burgeoning interest in metrics.
“Traditional
legacy journalists didn’t want to engage with their audiences – they
did not see that as their role,” Porter said, adding that if today’s
journalists and newsrooms did not get on board and understand metrics,
they would be left behind with limited, if any, impact. “You’d have no
influence whatsoever. This is a mind shift for traditional
journalists…that is also important for new journalists.”
Porter
said that the “next wave,” or what would follow Twitter as a dominant
tool of sharing information online, was not readily apparent. Some
Annenberg faculty who attended the talk said that the future model was
difficult to design, especially since the technological breakthroughs
of the next decades were impossible to predict.
“There
is no big task to attack that is obvious on the horizon,” said
journalism professor Andrew Lih, who teaches several classes focusing
on new technologies. “We’ve predicted it so many times...I’m not very
high on it. Other than (bandwidth advances), there’s no real next ‘big
thing’.”
Chinn said that nowadays, with media
outlets competing with each other on different levels of engagement,
web analysts can measure everything and that this has led to key
changes in the business model.
“Know what
your numbers are, know their flaws, and take them with a grain of
salt,” Chinn said. “And measuring can be fun,” she added.
Chinn’s blog for newsroom Web analytics
By Jonathan Arkin
Student Writer
USC Annenberg’s Center for Communication Leadership and Policy and the Thornton School of Music collaborated with the Marshall School of Business to bring Grammy Award-winning film composer Peter Buffett to a special recital/lecture hybrid on Oct. 12.
Buffett, who is perhaps best known for scoring the “fire dance” scene in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning Dances With Wolves in 1990, brought a multimedia presentation of slides, home movies and documentary footage – which he showed to his audience at Thornton’s Ramo Recital Hall while accompanying himself on the piano. A cellist played alongside.
“It is always a pleasure to engage in a partnership with the Thornton School,” University Professor and Wallis Annenberg Chair in Communication Leadership Geoffrey Cowan said. “Peter Buffett's life and work exemplify an important aspect of communication leadership…I think that everyone in the audience was inspired by his vision and his work.
Cowan added that the joint degree program shared between the Annenberg and Thornton schools at USC was the academic extension of a process of creative “layering” that lay upon the “natural platform” of music. Other representatives from both Thornton – which hosted the space – and Annenberg, looked forward to future collaborations.
“As Geoff (Cowan) said, we’re really pleased to be able to use this opportunity to do interdisciplinary work between two schools,” said Geoff Baum, CCLP’s managing director. “How music can be used as a tool for the better good of the public.”
During his ‘conversation and concert,’ Buffett shared several stories of his down-and-up career in the songwriting industry, a journey culminating in the unexpected call from actor-director Costner that signaled the composer’s entry into the world of film scoring.
“I’ve got to get my music to Costner…how do I do this?” said Buffett of his early efforts to get his Native American-themed compositions to the star’s agents. “He had never produced a film before. He had never directed a film before. He was not about to hire someone who had never scored a film before.”
Nevertheless, Buffett said, a call did eventually come from Costner, who asked for a specific piece of music for a specific scene, and Buffett said he was happy to oblige.
“He said ‘Are you busy?’ And of course, the answer to that is always ‘No’,” said Buffett, who noted that his eventual hiring to score the fire dance scene resulted in two minutes on celluloid that received positive reviews and was considered “pivotal’ in the final version of the film. “I scored the scene, and (Costner’s) wife at the time said ‘Would you play at the premiere?’…And so my second live gig ever was the premiere of Dances With Wolves.”
One of Buffett’s other live accompaniments to video at the concert showed the plight of those caught in human trafficking networks – many of which, he said, still exist in some of the most unlikely places. The song he chose to sing to the on-screen images, “Blood into Gold,” was one of at least two collaborations with the recording artist Akon.
In closing, Buffett led the audience in a sing-along of one of the compositions designed for his NoVo Foundation – a philanthropy he leads with his wife, Jennifer, that focuses on the empowerment of underserved women and girls worldwide – that repeated the chorus “Can we love in the time that we live in?” Cowan then announced the Clinton Global Initiative had just chosen NoVo as one of the most important philanthropies in the world and it had honored him with a Global Citizen Award.
“I’m always up for a challenge,” Buffett said, smiling. “So…I’ve got thirteen minutes of fame left.”
By Catherine Donahoe
Student Writer
The third annual Community College Journalism Day, sponsored by the McCormick Foundation, was held on Oct. 9 at the Annenberg School.
Community college students were able to attend different workshops and panels held by award-winning professional journalists and faculty. Participants came from Southwestern Community College, Cerritos College, El Camino College, Long Beach City College, and Los Angeles City College, among others. About 125 people attended the Community College Journalism Day, which is 65 more people than the event in 2008.
Journalism professor and editor-in-chief of Truthdig.com Robert Scheer (pictured) was the keynote speaker for the event. Students attended seminars in reporting, online writing, investigative reporting, photo journalism, and magazine reporting. Additionally, workshops on how to get into journalism school as well as a seminar on Iran’s election were offered to students.
The reporting seminar was led by Bill Boyarsky, an award winning columnist and former City Editor for the Los Angeles Times. He talked about different interview techniques, as well as taking notes and reporting ethics.
The online writing workshop was given by USC Annenberg assistant professor Robert Hernandez (pictured, right). He discussed how images, video, music, and graphics are important multi-media tools.
Los Angeles Times reporters Scott Glover and Matt Lait led the "Investigative Reporting" workshop. Students learned what it takes to be an investigative journalist and received tips on how to utilize sources and obtain information from public records.
The magazine journalism workshop was hosted by Kit Rachlis, former editor-in-chief of Los Angeles Magazine. He discussed how writers should propose pieces, how editors evaluate magazine pieces, and how every staff members plays a role.
The workshop on photo journalism was led by Armando Brown. Brown was a former community college student and USC alumnus who is now a photo journalist. He discussed the basics with students at his workshop.
Community college students also got a chance to ask questions about how to get into journalism school. Representatives from USC Annenberg, Cal State Northridge and Cal State Fullerton answered questions and gave suggestions. Students gave positive feedback on this workshop.
Bruce Wallace, a foreign editor for the Los Angeles Times, and Mahasti Afshar, an independent scholar, led a panel about Iran’s election and how the story broke. They discussed how citizens utilized social media tools to communicate their story when the mainstream media was not accessible to them. They talked about what happened in Iran and how it reflects the media in the future.
Participants in the Community College Journalism Day had the chance to evaluate their experience. The participants commended the event as a worthwhile opportunity to be exposed to all forms of journalism. “This brought more light to what true journalism is and/or should be,” wrote one participant in an evaluation form.
By Kirstin Heinle
Student Writer
Media guru Henry Jenkins (pictured)
recently began his post as the Provost's Professor of Communication,
Journalism and Cinematic Arts at the Annenberg School after spending
more than a decade at MIT. Touted as one of the leading scholars on
media and popular culture, Jenkins shared his reasons for joining the
Annenberg family, divulged his top movie and TV choices, and explained
the latest rumors about his mud wrestling past. This interview is part
of a series of Q-and-A's with USC Annenberg faculty.
What's keeping you busy this semester?
HJ:
I do so many different things. I'm teaching two classes. I'm teaching
"New Media Literacy" and "Transmedia Entertainment and Storytelling,"
which is really about what's happening to the entire entertainment
industry right now. The borders and boundaries between media are just
breaking down at a dramatic pace. TV now is blending into the Web. But
more than that, what we're seeing is that the relationship between TV
and the Web has expanded. The integration of media across different
platforms is what we're talking about. Everyone is sort of thinking
about this pull of telling a story from across media.
Talk a little bit about your work with the MacArthur Foundation.
HJ:
The MacArthur Foundation launched a 50-million dollar initiative four
years ago to really study informal learning through digital culture
outside of schools. I wrote the white paper that launched that
initiative and laid out the framework for what we mean by "new media
literacy"—the set of skills and competencies that people need to engage
in participatory culture.
How are you applying what you found to real life?
HJ:
I formed this group called "Project New Media Literacies," and now
we're partnering with a school system in Rio de Janeiro to bring about
a large scale of reinventing of teaching methods in new media. Over the
next three or four years, we are going to teach every teacher in Rio to
think about digital literacy. They are going to take the materials we
developed as their prototypes and help them develop their own content
that's appropriate for Brazil.
Your work discusses "participatory culture." In a nutshell, how would you define that?
HJ:
Participatory culture is a culture where the general public actively
creates and circulates media and is involved in online communities. And
by now, most young people are creating and sharing media through their
hobbies or fandoms. Through their connections to popular culture, they
are actually acquiring skills in social organizing and public
expression that potentially spill over into the public sphere, like the
Obama campaign.
What's your ultimate goal?
HJ: I want
to create a world where more people are able to participate in
expressing their ideas through media. That's the essence of what I mean
by participatory culture. I'm also very dedicated to getting ideas out
of the university and into the larger public dialogue. I want to use
digital media to change the way intellectuals engage with the public.
Why did you choose to move from MIT to USC Annenberg?
HJ:
It's complicated, but this is the place where all the pieces are. I
think that there's a vision here at the leadership of Annenberg that
really captured my imagination. For someone who never likes to be put
into a disciplinary box, this is the biggest candy box I've ever been
turned loose with.
When you were growing up, what did you think you'd be doing as an adult?
HJ:
The interesting thing is that my seventh grade term paper was on the
history of cinema. My father always said I rewrote that term paper for
the rest of my life. I thought about being a stand-up comedian. My
interests were across media platforms, even at six, seven and eight,
but I could never figure out what medium I liked best. Now I'm just
someone who plays with all different types of media.
Let's get serious for a minute. What are some of your favorite TV shows?
HJ: Historically, the TV show that engaged me the most was Hill Street Blues, but Star Trek certainly has to go on that list. I would say that Twin Peaks was a show that really captured my imagination. There are so many current shows that I really love. Lost and Heroes are definitely big on the list, but so are a lot of reality. I've never missed an episode of Survivor in the whole run of the series. I love Project Runway and So You Think You Can Dance.
Movies?
HJ: Citizen Kane was probably my all-time favorite. But I also love things like Aliens. I'm a big enthusiast of Tim Burton. I think Gangs of New York is one of my favorite movies of the last four or five years.
When you're not catching up with your DVR, what do you do for fun?
HJ:
All of my hobbies involve consuming media. My wife and I are both fans.
I mean that in the literal sense that we go to Comic-Con and we go to
Harry Potter conventions. We read fan fic and all of that stuff and
have for most of our lives. I would say that's probably the most
important hobby I have.
Lastly, what is this about you and your wife mud wrestling?
HJ:
For 14 years I was housemaster at MIT and they have an annual party
that started with mud wrestling. The university was going to shut it
down and my wife and I said, 'Oh it's perfectly safe and family
friendly. We do it ourselves.' (Which we hadn't.) Then we got put on
the spot and went and mud wrestled and students loved it. We did it for
about 10 years running. The Chronicle of Higher Education wrote an article about me and called me 'the mud wrestling media maven from MIT.' It was something we did for the students.
Jenkins on Twitter
Jenkins' blog
By Lara Levin
Student Writer
During their time at USC, a group of 16 participants of the Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists have had the opportunity to explore the wide gamut of news coverage that Los Angeles media tackles, from detailing the business dealings of Hollywood to telling the stories from Skid Row. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists invites 150 journalists from 100 countries to experience and understand the American media landscape, spending time in media hubs, small and large, across the country.
On Oct. 6 at the Journalism Director’s Forum presented by Geneva Overholser (pictured left), 11 journalists from the group that represents over a dozen Asian nations were able to, rather than learn about the American news media, share the challenges they face as journalists at home, pertaining specifically to international reporting.
One of the more vocal participants, Elenoa Dimaira Baselala, a senior writer for the Fiji Times, noted the challenge of media censorship that many of the journalists faced in their respective countries.
“Every evening it’s a tough job,” she explained. “After you’ve written your story, after you’ve done all your questioning, and you’ve been following a person all day, and it might not run.” To get around this censorship and tell her story, however, Baselala suggested that you “have to be creative, have to write stories that make people read between the lines,” a statement with which many other panel members agreed.
Another facet of censorship was mentioned by Brunei Times editor Sheau Huey Han, who suggested her job is “particularly challenging because [journalists] don’t have free access to information, so [they] have to find different ways to get our sources or documents.”
Seeking out these sources, however, can prove dangerous for many journalists. Filipino broadcast reporter Maria Judea Jimenez Pulido noted that the Philippines are second only to Iraq in the number of journalists killed, elaborating, “When reporters do stories about corruption, especially in the provinces, they are targeted for assassination.”
Other journalists from Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, the People’s Republic of China, East Timor and Vietnam also volunteered their views on and experiences with issues ranging from combating stereotypical national images to, in the case of East Timor, the challenges of establishing a national identity as a new nation.
The forum ended with a call for some suggestions from the journalists for strategies to improve the coverage of international events by American media organizations.
Yidong Gong, a journalist from the People’s Republic of China, warned against American journalists jumping to conclusions before understanding their context within the countries and cultures about which they’re writing: “One of my suggestions is to get into the people and get into the community in which you are living and throw away your values.”
By Janine Rayford
Student Writer
Associate Dean Carola Weil
welcomed a team of International journalists at an intimate reception
in the east lobby on Oct. 1. Through the Edward R. Murrow Program for
Journalists, USC Annenberg in conjunction with the State Department is
hosting a talented group of international journalists, hand-picked by
their respective embassies. The group of 16 journalists hails from
all of over the world including Brunei, Malaysia, South Korea, and The
Peoples Republic of China.
The group previously made a stop in the nation’s capitol, and arrived at
Annenberg just as their reception was getting underway. The long travel
and Los Angeles traffic did not hamper the excitement of the young
journalists, who all appeared eager for what was in store.
Though Dean Ernest J. Wilson III
was away in North Carolina representing Annenberg at a meeting of all
journalism and communication schools, Associate Dean Weil warmly
addressed the group of students saying, “Since its inception the Murrow
Program has brought over 400 international journalists to the U.S. to
study American journalism best practices.” She continued, “This is an
incredibly rich cultural gathering and we are looking forward to
learning from you all as much as we will present to you from our own
knowledge bank.” Amidst appetizers and greetings the group mingled with
faculty and students who came to receive them.
Visiting journalist Chi Kung of Singapore said, “The most exciting thing is to meet American journalists and learn from them.”
Kung
covers domestic politics in Singapore where there is not a system of
freedom of the press. He describes that he considers “writing
critically as an art form.”
The journalists later met teams of
journalism professionals and students and USC Annenberg, and
participated in a Journalism Director's Forum.
By Catherine Donahoe
Student Writer
Elizabeth Aguilera (M.A. Specialized Journalism ‘10) has been named a 2010 Marshall Memorial Fellow by the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Aguilera will spend time travelling next summer in Europe to meet with different policymakers and prominent members of the government, business, political, NGO, and media communities. The Marshall Memorial Fellowship gives the opportunity to emerging leaders from the United States and Europe to visit five cities during the program that lasts 24 days.
“I'm very excited and honored to have been chosen for the Marshall Fellowship,” Aguilera said. “It will be an eye-opening experience to meet European leaders and colleagues who are also working to understand and resolve world issues all our countries face today.”
The Marshall Memorial Fellowship was created by the German Marshall Fund of the United States. It was founded in 1982, and launched a companion program in 1999 to expose future U.S. leaders to changes in Europe. Since its beginning, the program has attracted 1,650 people from different sectors including media, politics, business, and nongovernmental organizations. More than 100 fellowships are given each year to strengthen the transatlantic relationship.
“The best way to understand one another and create transatlantic relationships is through face-to-face relationship building and this is what the Marshall Fellowship is all about,” Aguilera said. “As a journalist this is a rare opportunity to learn and understand cultures and issues in a different and deeper way.”
Fellows are also given time to explore their own professional interests beyond the group programs.
Aguilera is currently an Annenberg fellow in the Specialized Journalism program focusing on urban culture and environment.
“My goal is to return to reporting after the program with the new media skills and specialization I'm learning at USC,” Aguilera said.
She was invited to apply for this fellowship after she was nominated by a 2009 fellow.
"I already knew about the fellowship and thought it was a great way to meet European leaders and colleagues and learn about global issues,” Aguilera said. “As a journalist it is critical to always be learning about the world, other countries, cultures and issues.”
Ashley Ahearn, a '10 Specialized Journalism student with an emphasis in science, received the second place award in the category "Best in-depth reporting, radio" at the 19th annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists held in Madison, Wisconsin on Oct. 7-11.
Ahearn's documentary explored the scientific research showing a correlation between lead exposure in early childhood and violent crime in adulthood.
Listen to Ahearn's story here
By Kirstin Heinle
Student Writer 
Veteran newspaper editor and adjunct journalism professor
Bill Boyarsky, author of the new book
Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and Their Times, and communication professor
Tom Hollihan (pictured, right), author of
Uncivil Wars: Political Campaigns in a Media Age, joined University Professor and Director of the Center on Communication Leadership and Policy
Geoffrey Cowan (below left) on Oct. 15 to discuss a variety of topics surrounding journalism today, including the evolution of the
Los Angeles Times and health care reform press coverage.
Boyarksy began his Los Angeles Times career
in 1970, after witnessing the paper's shift from a "right-winged
propaganda rag" to an objective, "magnificent paper" under the command
of Otis Chandler.
"They started doing really
revolutionary things, like writing stories about Jews and African
Americans and Latinos, and being aggressive in their coverage," said
Boyarksy about the changes made under Otis Chandler's leadership. "It
changed the whole paper."
An
expert on the legendary Chandler family who created and ran the paper
for decades, Boyarsky gave a brief history of how the paper evolved
under different Chandler publishers. During Norman Chandler's time as
publisher in 1944-1960, the Los Angeles Times was read
primarily by upper-class, "prosperous" people, Boyarsky said. The
Chandlers used the paper to control the right-winged politics in the
city.
"The power of this paper was quite outstanding," Boyarsky
explained. "It is inconceivable in today's era. You can't imagine this
little guy with a bow tie running the Republican party from his office.
They were the Fox News of their day. They didn't cover stories about
Democrats. That was the way it ran."
When Otis Chandler took
control in 1960, the paper began reporting objectively, garnering
respect from the larger Los Angeles population, not solely the wealthy
Republicans. Until recently, The Los Angeles Times remained a media powerhouse, he said.
"People used to get their news from major newspapers, like The Times,"
Hollihan said. "I don't think that's the case anymore." In addition to
shifting to the Web for breaking news, people are only skimming content
now, instead of being detail-oriented, Hollihan continued.
Cowan
questioned the shift in attention as being the reason behind the heath
care debate being dominated in the press by one party.
"I think its an absolute lack of party discipline," answered Hollihan, referencing the current administration's passivity.
Boyarsky
agreed and added that right-winged sponsored town hall meetings have
lent themselves well to media coverage. "Anything that screams, leads
in political coverage," Boyarsky said. "They are not interested in the
substance or covering it and the screamers win."
Hollihan said
today's audiences want to consume press from the side with which they
agree, instead of demanding unbiased coverage. "Objectivity made the
papers a little more vanilla. What's happening clearly in the new era
is that we are finding our way back to segmented news," Hollian said.
Despite this shift, Hollihan stressed the importance of quality coverage.
"I
don't think the core values of covering journalism have changed, but I
think that the way you market yourself have changed," he said.
This
conversation marked the first of a weekly series that will take place
every Thursday afternoon from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m at the Annenberg
Research Park in the historic USC Kerckhoff Hall. Lunch is served. On
Oct. 22, the conversation will focus on press and religion with special guest Peter Steinfels of The New York Times.
Dr. Marcia Alesan Dawkins (Ph.D. Communication 2009) is the recipient of the 2009 Outstanding Dissertation Award given jointly by the African-American Communication and Culture Division and Black Caucus of the National Communication Association. Dawkins' study titled, "Impurely Raced//Purely Erased: Toward a Rhetorical Theory of (Bi)Racial Passing,” was directed by Dr. Randall Lake.
Dawkins will be recognized at the AACCD Business Meeting, scheduled for 2 p.m. on Nov. 14, in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Chicago. Dawkins is Assistant Professor, Department of Human Communication Studies, California State University, Fullerton.
By Lara Levin
Student Writer
Continuing its series Conversations in Public Diplomacy, the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, led by director Philip Seib (pictured, right), presented Daryl Copeland for a discussion of his new book, Guerilla Diplomacy: Rethinking International Relations, in which he calls for a massive overhaul of public diplomacy in the age of globalization.
Having spent 28 years in a diplomatic post for the Canadian government, Copeland felt public diplomacy was not functioning properly within the realm of international relations, and this served as an inspiration for his writings.
“One of the reasons I wanted to write the book was because I concluded towards the end that there was something very wrong with the picture that I was in,” he explained. “I wasn’t sure what my analysis of the pathology was, but I was quite convinced of two things—that diplomacy as an approach to international relations wasn’t occupying the central place in government that I thought it should… and that diplomacy had not done a very good job in adapting to the challenges.”
To begin to engineer a solution to the many challenges diplomacy faces as a viable tool in international relations, Copeland seeks to puncture three distinct myths in international relations, the first of which is that the Cold War is over.
“The Cold War per se might be over but it’s just morphed into something similar,” suggested Copeland, citing a binary world view of “us vs. terrorists” akin to the viewpoints of Americans towards the Red Menace that he called “intellectual baggage that I think we should have left behind but have carried with us.”
Copeland also poked holes in the myth that “security is a martial art” based on the missile count and size of the standing army of a given nation, as well as the idea that “diplomacy is in some way about weakness,” a reputation that Copeland traces back to the damage done by Chamberlain’s notorious appeasement strategy.
In the context of puncturing these myths, Copeland offered the main argument in his book, boiled down to one sentence, albeit heavily laden and in need of deconstruction, stating, “If development is the new security in the age of globalization, then diplomacy must displace defense at the center of international policy.” And he thus sets out to investigate the way to fix the “diplomacy ecosystem,” as he defines foreign ministry, foreign service, and diplomatic business model.
To clarify, Copeland conjectures relationships between defense and power, and on the other side diplomacy and influence—a distinction that leads him to conclude a misallocation of resources in military rather than diplomatic endeavors. He recognizes, however, that diplomacy is oftten not recognized as the means of achieving these objectives. Yet, he maintains that the “goal of grand strategy becomes somehow achieving a world in which you get sustainable security as a function of development through diplomacy rather than defense.” In this space Copeland integrates his call for guerilla diplomacy.
But what do these guerilla diplomats look like? Copeland suggests the three characteristics, his “triple-A attributes,” of a guerilla diplomat: acuity, agility and autonomy.
The characteristic of acuity is put in the context of sharpness with regard to local knowledge and the ability to make the distinction between intelligence and policy. The agility to which Copeland refers to the flexibility and adaptability of the guerilla diplomat to “seep down into the interstices of power and influence,” with a keen understanding of the language, history and culture of the nation in which he or she is stationed.
Finally, the need for autonomy envisions a diplomat who is “capable of managing risk and acting semi-independently, but not always waiting around for instructions from headquarters… [able to] enjoy the confidence trust and respect of his or her superiors,” something Copeland suggests diplomats do not currently experience in the field.
Copeland concluded by suggesting that there is a dialectic between results and resources within the realm of public diplomacy, and you can’t have one without the other. To create this more balanced relationship, Copeland calls for a “diplomatic renaissance” in which the state occupies a smaller space in international affairs—a new model in which not only political officers but those involved in trade promotion, foreign aid, NGOs, and even those within the business community, take on the role of the guerilla diplomat.
By Jonathan Arkin
Student Writer
Amid the cheeping of birds, owls, crickets and other sounds of nature, those passing through Hahn Plaza near the statue of ‘Tommy Trojan’ on Oct. 13 experienced the opening of Sonic Forest, a three-day sound and light art installation visiting USC and conceived by Christopher Janney.
Flutist Stan Strickland and the percussion section of the Trojan Marching Band helped open the installation to the public with a rousing “immersive sound experience” at dusk. Following the performance, a panel discussion titled "Public Space, Public Art and Public Life," featuring Janney and notable artists, architects and planners discussed innovative ways that technology is being used to enliven the public square.
Janney told the panel at USC Annenberg, led by Norman Lear Center director and holder of the Norman Lear Chair in Entertainment Martin Kaplan, following the initial walk-through that he was interested in using a classical approach toward public areas and plazas – by encouraging the gathering of everyday folk – but that he wished to improve upon the shortcomings of underutilized space by incorporating real, interactive and usable art.
“When we started talking about this, I sent a note to Marty (Kaplan),” Janney said, as he showed slides of Athenian and Roman squares known for their attractive design. “I am of the mind that this is an important thing. Spaces should be made for people.”
Students, faculty, staff and visitors to USC took to the 16-column installation with their hands and ears, touching and listening, many with broad smiles on their faces as they interacted with the photo-electric sensors that responded to their touch. Local television news crews were there to capture many of those present looking up at and touching the steel columns of sound – some actually hugged them – as if they were actual trees.
“I suppose if there is to be calm and peace in an urban setting, this along with the nearby fountain came as close to the ‘real thing’ as it could be,” said Jennifer Siu, a staffer at USC Recreational Sports. “It looks as though this piece could accommodate many different sizes of landscape.”
Kaplan said that the use of public space for art would create new possibilities for public life.
“The topic is how public art can activate public space to make it a social space – a space for social life,” said Kaplan, who along with the Lear Center and Visions and Voices, helped bring Janney and Sonic Forest to USC and plans to explore other opportunities to use USC’s campus for similar artistic ventures.
Janney said that the collaboration with the Lear Center and USC was an organic decision arising from a desire to create “rituals in public spaces” that would contribute to a more interactive social fabric – especially in large cities like Los Angeles. Communication professor Josh Kun, who is preparing to open a sound-based exhibit of his own, agreed.
“It raises valuable questions about the relationship between sound and public space and how manipulating sound can create new possibilities for how we move through public spaces,” Kun said. “It’s wonderful that USC is supporting something that would be called ‘sound art,’ and it’s important to have that for students. It helps them think eventually about sound as a critical forum.”
USC Annenberg Press recently released its fall issue of Information Technologies and International Development (Vol. 5, No. 3).
Information
Technologies and International Development is an interdisciplinary
open-access journal that focuses on the intersection of information and
communication technologies (ICTs) with the "other four billion" the
share of the world population whose countries are not yet widely
connected to the Internet nor widely considered in the design of new
information technologies.
ITID editor and communication professor François Bar and ITID editor Michael L. Best wrote upon the journal's latest release:
"Linked by their common push to cross disciplines and to define and refine the standards of information and communication technologies research, the articles in this issue of Information Technologies and International Development offer many nuanced views into instances where practicality has frustrated accepted theory.
"Eight compelling contributions describe diverse studies conducted in developing regions all over the world. These studies make use of both large-scale, heavily quantitative research models and smaller-scale, more qualitative models, and they focus on technology applications as diverse as car-battery-powered rural cell phones and highly profitable urban PC gaming businesses. Each one, however, brings real-world insight into the debate about best practices and how researchers, either in the field or laboratory, ought to conduct their work as they strive to improve the world through applied technology.
"Please visit http://itidjournal.org to read this special section, as well as many other topics of interest in the field of ICT and development study."
Fellows from the Center on Communication Leadership and Policy
(CCLP) have co-authored an essay in a report released today by
award-winning broadcast journalist and author Maria Shriver
(pictured, above left). Shriver is working in partnership with CCLP and
the Center for American Progress on an ambitious research project
examining how women's changing roles are affecting government,
businesses, faith communities and the media.
Findings are being released in The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything (http://www.awomansnation.com).
It “outlines how these institutions rely on outdated models of who
works and who cares for our families, and examines how all these parts
of the culture have responded to one of the greatest social
transformations of our time.”
The Shriver Report features the essay Sexy Socialization: Today’s media and the next generation of women, authore
d by Cinny Kennard (pictured, right), CCLP senior fellow and an award-winning journalist and media executive, Stacy Smith (pictured, left), Ph.D., communication professor, CCLP faculty fellow and an award-winning scholar and author, and Amy Granados, CCLP research fellow and USC Annenberg doctoral student.
“Whether
looking at animated films approved for general audiences, R-rated
blockbusters, or innovative video games, girls and women often appear
as eye candy,” they write. “These ever-present idealized portrayals may
be inescapable for female viewers, whether they are 8 or 18 years of
age. Of equal concern is what boys and young men might be learning
about girls and women and how to relate to them. All this will inform
the future workplaces of America.”
The impact of these
portrayals may affect girls’ “perceptions of self-worth,” “thoughts and
feelings about their bodies” and how they “construct their identities
virtually in the public sphere.”
The CCLP fellows identify
possible ways to address these issues. They write “The main hope lies
on females working behind the scenes across media platforms in
production, distribution, and exhibition. Research demonstrates that
when women direct films, write/produce TV shows, or even cover the
news, the way in which females are presented changes dramatically.”
A
Woman’s Nation will share its findings with the nation, Congress and
President Barack Obama, who signed an Executive Order earlier this year
to establish a Council to coordinate the federal government's efforts
to address the needs of women and girls.
"For the first time
in our nation's history, women represent half of all workers and are
becoming the primary breadwinners in more families than ever before,"
Kennard said. "The shift is generating a transformation in the American
family and this report outlines the changes and the impact and
potential impact on society."
"Despite these shifts, our essay
in The Shriver Report substantiates that the media still often overlook
portrayals of girls and women," Smith said. "Females appear less
frequently than males across many media outlets, and are routinely
shown in a hypersexualized light."
“We are delighted to have
joined with Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress on this
project which is providing an important examination of the status of
American women as we move into the 21st century,” said Geoffrey Cowan,
USC University Professor and director of the Center on Communication
Leadership and Policy whose parents, Lou and Polly Cowan, participated
in the development of the 1963 Shriver Report produced by Sargent
Shriver for the Kennedy administration. “The exceptional work done by
our research team will help illuminate and perhaps lead to systemic
changes in one important area: the ways in which the media is
influencing the lives of girls and women.”
About the Center on Communication Leadership and Policy
Based
at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, the
Center on Communication Leadership and Policy
(www.communicationleadership.org) conducts research and organizes
courses, programs, seminars and symposia for scholars, students,
policymakers and working professionals to prepare future leaders in
journalism, communication and other related fields. CCLP focuses its
activities in two areas: The Role of Media in a Democracy and
Communication Leadership. Current projects include Public Policy and
the Future of News; New Models for News; The Constitution and the
Press; Media and Political Discourse; Children’s Media and Ethics;
Women and Communication Leadership; and Photographic Empowerment.
The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything
Communication professor and Pacific Council President and CEO Dr. Jerrold D. Green
recently returned from a 10-day trip to Asia aimed at increasing
communication and exchange between the Pacific Council and the public
and business sectors of Vietnam and Hong Kong.
Dr.
Green first visited Vietnam, where he engaged with senior government
officials and prominent figures from the business community. The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited Dr. Green to return to Vietnam to
promote greater familiarity with Pacific Council members. Green
accepted the invitation and will be organizing a delegation of Council
members to travel to Vietnam in spring 2010.
Dr.
Green then traveled to Hong Kong, where he met with senior government
officials and business leaders to discuss issues ranging from the
promotion of international trade and economic growth to the elimination
of corruption. During his visit, Dr. Green was a guest speaker at a
meeting of the Asia Society, where he was invited to share his analysis
of recent developments in Iran; he also gave remarks at meetings of the
Vision 2047 Foundation, and at a luncheon hosted by Hong Kong’s Deputy
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs.
Adjunct communication professor Vicent Brook recently released his third book, Driven to Darkness: Jewish Emigre Directors and the Rise of Film Noir. The book, published by Rutgers University Press, examines noted filmmakers Billy Wilder, Fritz Lang, Otto Preminger and others who fled the Nazis and played a crucial role in the development and evolution of film noir.
Journalism professor Dana Chinn gave a presentation on web analytics for newsrooms at the Online News Association Conference Oct. 1-3, 2009 in San Francisco. The presentation, "Finding Meaning in the Metrics," gave an overview of how journalists can understand their online audiences better by analyzing the traffic on their websites.
Chinn will also be discussing social media metrics on a panel on "Industries in Flux: Media and Public Relations and the Impact of Social Media" on Nov. 3 at the Los Angeles Times. This event is part of the PR Newswire Emerging Media Discussion Series.
Norman Lear Center director Martin Kaplan penned an op-ed for the Huffington Post examining the role of the media in informing the public. Kaplan
recounted a time when he was watching Showbiz Tonight and saw the
same clip, about a cartoon making fun of Jessica Simpson's weight that
Fox had run on its NFL Sunday program, seven times.
Kaplan compared
that to an article he read in The Christian Science Monitor about
terrorist networks in Pakistan. "I don't expect Showbiz Tonight, and
I guess I shouldn't even expect CNN's Headline News, to pound those odd
names into my noggin with the same relentlessness that put Jessica
Simpson there," Kaplan wrote. "But I have the sinking feeling that when
President Obama announces his plans for Afghanistan, the consequence of
the media diet that the average American consumes will be that most
people listening to him will know more about Levi Johnston's three-week
moose meat diet and workout plan than about those bewildering terrorist
groups with all those q's."
Communication professor Josh Kun's first solo gallery exhibition titled "Last Exit USA," is being presented at Steve Turner Contemporary art gallery through Nov. 14. In this sound installation, Kun juxtaposes the home-grown music of 1960s Tijuana with the "Tijuana Sound" that was heavily marketed by American music companies.
Fueled by the success of Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, hundreds of albums were produced that caricatured Tijuana as a sleepy Mexican border town. In reality, Tijuana was an emerging industrial city and had a lively music scene with its own version of the blues, rock & roll and jazz. Local artists were influenced by the music that was played on the big signal stations broadcasting from Mexico and in the tourist nightclubs in Tijuana. They in turn developed a unique Tijuana sound, which gallery visitors may experience at listening stations while surrounded by the album covers of the invented Tijuana.
More information
Communication professor Andrew Lih sat on a panel titled "Shifting the Paradigm: Traditional Media Adoption is Changing the World" on Oct. 16 at the 2009 BlogWorld conference in Las Vegas. Also on the panel were Dan Patterson, ABC's Jon DeNunzio, and the Washington Post's Daniel Conover.
BlogWorld & New Media Expo is the only industry-wide, comprehensive conference, tradeshow and media event for all new media. BlogWorld features 3 days of learning, 300+ presenters, more than 120 seminars, panel discussions and keynotes from iconic personalities on the leading-edge of online media and internet-savvy business in tech, sports, entertainment, politics and more.
Journalism professor Judy Muller was interviewed Oct. 12 by Warren Olney on "Which Way, LA" about the success of "hyper-local" journalism. She talked about her upcoming book, Emus Loose in Egnar: Big Stories from Small Towns, which showcases the success of various weeklies around the country.
Muller also reported on Medical Marijuana Dispensaries for KCET's SoCal Connected on Oct. 15. This is a follow-up report to her investigation last May which broke the news that L.A. had more marijuana dispensaries than Starbucks. Since that time, the number of clinics has doubled.
Muller's weekly radio show, "Town Hall Journal," on 89.3 KPCC at 9 p.m. on Sundays, most recently covered the H1N1 virus. Muller examined the questions surrounding flu vaccination, interviewing The Great Influenza author John Barry about the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Town Hall Journal
Journalism professor Tim Page (pictured),
who holds a joint appointment at the USC Thornton School of Music, gave
an
author talk at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C., on
Sept. 19.
Page was speaking about Parallel Play: Growing Up With Undiagnosed Asperger’s, his well-received new book published by Doubleday on Sept. 8.
Page, who won a Pulitzer Prize for music criticism while at The Washington Post, has received glowing reviews and much attention for his memoir, which is an expansion of a long piece he wrote for The New Yorker in 2007.
“In
fascinatingly precise detail and often to pricelessly funny effect,
[Page] describes ways in which his efforts to feign normalcy have
backfired,” opined The New York Times.
“Its pages teem
with warm characters and hilarious, heartbreaking stories. At its heart
the story is about otherness, and it explodes stereotypes of Aspies
standing aloof from the full deluge of human drama,” wrote another
reviewer.
Page said he is “thrilled by the reviews, including the new ones in Los Angeles magazine and the Baltimore Sun,”
representing his two hometowns. He will have visited 10 cities, ranging
from Boston to Seattle, to promote his book by the holiday season.
Journalism professor Michael Parks (pictured, left) and Vikki Porter (below, right), director of the Knight Digital Media Center, conducted a series of three wide-ranging workshops for Russian journalists on the new professional competencies required by journalists in the digital era. Participants included journalists, newsroom managers and journalism educators from Russia's Urals region and from Siberia.
The 10-day program was organized by the University of the Huma
nities in Ekaterinburg and underwritten by IREX, an nonprofit organization that fosters international exchange programs.
Parks and Porter also taught a master class in digital storytelling for journalism students at the University of the Humanities. In April, a group of journalists and journalism educators from Ekaterinburg visited USC Annenberg as part of a study tour focused on journalistic convergence.
Journalism professor Richard Reeves penned an op-ed for the State Journal-Register on President Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize.
"The prize, one hopes, will give American moral standing a boost
after revelations of torture and such in recent years," Reeves wrote.
"Ironically, though, it will probably increase the xenophobia of the
American right. Mouthy conservatives are going to see this as proof
that Obama is not one of 'us.' They're going to say he's one of 'them'
-- them being most anyone who does not speak English as a first
language and some who do."
Communication professor Susan Resnick-West gave the opening address at the Cal Tech/MIT Enterprise Forum on Oct 10. The topic of her talk was "Entrepreneurial Leadership: From Your Lap-Top to the C-Suite."
Journalism and Public Diplomacy professor, and Director of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy Philip Seib penned a chapter titled "Defining Influence, Balancing Power: News and Foreign Policy" for the book The Routledge Companion to News and Journalism (London: Routledge, 2009), which was edited by Stuart Allan.
According to its Web site, The Routledge Companion to News and Journalism presents an authoritative, comprehensive assessment of diverse forms of news media reporting – past, present and future. Including 56 chapters, written by an outstanding team of internationally respected authors, the book provides scholars and students with a reliable, historically informed guide to news media and journalism studies.
Communication professor Jonathan Taplin penned an Oct. 13 op-ed titled "The Lost Generation" for the blog TPM Cafe discussing the lack of good careers available to young people coming into the job market.
"Capitalism's most vulnerable point is the death spiral of overcapacity," he wrote. "Now the only way for businesses and consumers to survive is too cut back drastically."
"This hits the hardest in the young and Business Week raised the possibility that we are creating a 'Lost Generation' of young people without the prospects of decent employment." Taplin provided charts of unemployment rates, declining odds of employment for people between the ages of 16-24 and those who have earned college degrees, and called for a Green WPA in order to improve the current trends.
Cole on celebrity feuding via Twitter (LA Times)
Durbin on breast cancer awareness promotion; on flu epidemic and health care coverage; and on David Letterman scandal (Newsweek, Redlands Daily Facts, Fox News)
Communication professor Dan Durbin was quoted in Newsweek on Oct. 2 on the new breast cancer awareness campaign. He was also quoted in the Oakland Tribune and Pasadena Star-News on media reactions to the flu vaccine. Additionally, Durbin appeared on the Fox 11 News on Oct. 2 discussing the David Letterman scandal.
Kaplan on TV shows promoting volunteerism (Marketplace)
Merina and Suro on integration of different ethnic groups in Singapore and LA (Today)
Noll on influence of Bell Labs (Star-Ledger)
Reeves mentioned in Burgess obit; highlighted as a writer who created list of New York's power players (Washington Post, New York Magazine)
Suro on Latino immigration to New Orleans (Times-Picayune)
Taplin on "balloon boy" scandal (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Williams on using the video game Everquest II for research, and on virtual goods in online gaming (NPR, Fox News)
Students work in Neon Tommy highlighted (LA Observed)
Annenberg School mentioned in profile piece on Wallis Annenberg (Vanity Fair)
Annenberg School's partnership with Dubai school mentioned (The National)