Quoted: Week of February 27, 2017

“Quoted” gathers a selection of the week’s news stories featuring and written by USC Annenberg’s leadership, faculty, staff and others.

Follow #ASCJQuoted on Twitter for real-time updates.


Richard Reeves, Senior Lecturer, and his book "Infamy" was featured in Good Magazine's "What We Can Learn From This Shameful Anniversary In American History"

Reeves' book  in a Good Magazine story on the 75th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066, which led to the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese-Americans and Japanese nationals in the U.S. The article highlights a prophetic passage from the book, which provides an authoritative account of the internment of more than 120,000 Japanese-Americans and Japanese aliens during World War II:

“If a few incidents of terrorism happen again, we could start to round up Muslims in great numbers as we did with the Japanese with no charges except for their religion, just as the Japanese had no charges except for the color of their skin—and they looked like the enemy,” Reeves said in the 2015 book. 


Bill Celis, Associate Dean for Diversity, Inclusion and Strategic Initiatives; Associate Professor, was quoted in Columbia Journalism Review's "4 steps newsrooms are taking to boost diversity," weighing in on the importance of diversity in the media:

“Communities that are under-covered or poorly covered see no reason to read, view, or listen to a news outlet,” Celis said. “Fewer consumers translate into fewer advertising dollars. It is all connected, but few dailies, television, and radio stations have connected the dots in meaningful, enduring ways.”


Robert Hernandez, Associate Professor of Professional Practice was quoted in The Wall Street Journal's "Virtual-Reality Goggles Come With a Hitch: Real Reality," which takes a look at the real-life problems of immersing oneself in virtual reality. Hernandez "says people will eventually become more used to seeing wearable technology, noting that initially people associated cellphones, which have become ubiquitous, with yuppies."


Nick Cull, Professor; Director, Master of Public Diplomacy program was quoted in L.A. Daily News' "Oscar contenders aim to raise awareness — but in the Trump era will they change minds?" which looked at how the Academy Awards may address today's tense political climate. 

“‘Zootopia’ was a really, really interesting way of dramatizing, in a nonpreachy way, issues of pluralism and how we have to look at integration (and) diversity,' he said. Cull suggested the academy emphasized more diverse themes in the nominated films after the uproar over its failure to nominate any actors of color over the past two years."


Sandy Tolan, Professor of Journalism wrote "Taxpayer-Funded Horror at Standing Rock" for the Daily Beast, recounting how the police brutality against protesters at Standing Rock in North Dakota is reminiscent of civil-rights battles like Selma, and how the state has borrowed millions to fund it.

"So far, North Dakota taxpayers have borne the entire brunt of the bill, which has included some $4 million for National Guard pay and travel, $2.2 million for the state highway patrol, $503,000 for 'security supplies,' and $354,000 for cameras, according to official state documents, including internal memos, emergency budget requests, and expenditure reports," he writes.


Karen North, Clinical Professor of Communication and Director, Digital Social Media, was quoted in Wired UK's "Why Facebook and Twitter have a civic duty to protect us from fake news," weighing in on how social media networks need to address the problem of "fake news," but at the same time need to remain an open forum for discussion of all kinds:  "The idea that only truth should be allowed on social networks is antithetical to how people socially interact," North said. 


David Craig, Clinical Assistant Professor, wrote a column for The Conversation, reprinted in Newsweek as "Meet the millennial content creators stumping for the left," on how popular social media stars promoting civic engagement and advocating for liberal causes may be a slippery slope for some. "Their activism is also perilous," he writes. "These entrepreneurial content creators not only risk offending their fans, but may also lose advertising revenue and brand sponsors."

Craig was also quoted the Business Times' "Donald Trump has inspired a new golden age of late-night comedy," which takes a look at how "Donald Trump's election has been a boon for comedians ready and willing to mock an administration disdainful of the media and the liberals who populate the country's media capitals."

"Audiences are craving more political content, but they also are craving more progressive content," Craig said. "It's like colour commentary on this reality show called Washington."