A comprehensive study of the impact of online technology conducted by the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future finds that for the first time, the number of users who say that the Internet can be used to gain political power has increased. "Print and television forever changed politics through their powerful enormous impact on all elements of the political process — yet these media have...

The Institute for Justice and Journalism at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication has awarded fellowships to 10 journalists committed to producing in-depth stories on immigration and border policy under the theme of "Border Crossings: Policy, Practice and Politics." During the fellowship period, which begins January 9, 2006 and will be led by IJJ Senior Fellow Marc Cooper , contributing editor of The Nation magazine, the Border Justice Fellows will work on individual and team projects that will appear in their newspaper, wire service, television, radio and online outlets. The multimedia team project will involve journalists from the Charlotte Observer, its Charlotte.com website and WCNC-TV, the Belo Corp.-owned NBC affiliate in Charlotte.

Mark Haas , a senior broadcast journalism student at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, is the 2006 recipient of the Chick Hearn Memorial Scholarship . The annual scholarship is funded by an endowment established by the Los Angeles Lakers in memory of legendary sports broadcaster Chick Hearn , who died in 2002. In addition to a major gift from the Lakers, hundreds of fans contributed to the scholarship fund at USC Annenberg, which now totals more than $100,000.

California First Lady and broadcast journalist Maria Shriver was a featured guest Nov. 3 in Dean Geoffrey Cowan's Introduction to Journalism class. Shriver along with Dateline NBC producer Sandy Gleysteen presented clips from their work together and shared insights advice about the profession. Shriver also talked about her experience with politics in her personal and professional life.

Award-winning science journalist and author K.C. Cole will join the USC Annenberg faculty as a visiting professor of journalism in January 2006. Cole’s appointment to the USC Annenberg faculty is part of the Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education , which seeks to strengthen journalism education across the country and elevate its role within the research university. "The essence of science journalism – like science itself – is learning how to avoid getting fooled – or fooling yourself – so it's inseparable from the rest of journalism; in fact, science itself is a part of nearly every story, whether it's politics, crime, religion or the arts," says Cole (pictured). "As USC is the most vigorously interdisciplinary university I know, it's the perfect place to explore and exploit these connections-both at the journalism school and the university at large."

The USC Gould School of Law and Annenberg School for Communication brought together key scholars, policy makers and telecommunication industry leaders in Washington, D.C. to examine the state of wireless broadband deployment in the United States. The October 25 conference examined a key question: Are U.S.-government policies impeding the rollout or adoption of cutting-edge wireless broadband technologies? "This conference puts together leading academics who also have real world government and industry experience to address issues that confront policy makers in Washington today," said conference organizer Simon Wilkie (pictured), the former FCC chief economist who now directs USC's Center for Communication Law & Policy . Other speakers included QUALCOMM co-founder Andrew Viterbi , former FCC commissioner Harold Furchgott-Roth and Manhattan Institute scholar Thomas Hazlett .

The growing role of wireless communication in international economic development was the focus of a major research workshop organized by the Annenberg Research Network on International Communication . The October 7-8, 2005 gathering of the world's leading global communication researchers included participants from India, Kenya, Indonesia, Chile, Mexico, China...

The work of Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Paul Conrad is featured in a new exhibit at USC Annenberg's Second Floor Gallery. Conrad & the Presidents opened October 5 and includes nearly four dozen cartoons covering U.S. presidents from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush. "As underlined by his three Pulitzer Prizes, Paul Conrad is an iconic figure," says Geoffrey Cowan , dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. "I have admired his work for three decades and have long wanted to host an exhibition of his editorial cartoons, which so boldly, clearly and deftly convey his point of view."