This article by CCLP senior fellow Derek Shearer was originally published in The Conversation. Soccer is truly the world's sport. It is played and watched by more people across the globe than any other sport. Every four years, it is the center of global attention when the World Cup is held. It's as if the World Series and Super Bowl were rolled into one mega-sporting event with viewership in the hundreds of millions. A private organization based in Switzerland called FIFA controls the selection of the host country, the commercial sponsors for the event and the rules by which the……
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A year of national service for young Americans could restore trust in government
This op-ed was originally published in the Kansas City Star. Over the last few years, we've seen the public's trust in government reach historic lows. This lack of connectivity with our political leaders and institutions is acute with today's millennial generation showing low voter turnout and half of them identifying as politically independent. When government ceases attracting top talent it deepens government inefficiency and public mistrust. Unfortunately, there is evidence that a cycle of distrust and cynicism is already beginning as members of the next generation dedicate themselves to careers outside government. According to a recent Bipartisan Policy Center report,……
Weapons of Mass Deception: Part Two
This article was written by CCLP visiting fellow Vasily Gatov and was originally published by the Institute of Modern Russia. In part one of his essay, prominent Russian media analyst Vasily Gatov explained the origins of Putin's anti-Western narrative and the current Russian propaganda campaign. In this second installment, he focuses on the twisted logic behind this narrative and the mistakes of the West, and he provides recommendations on how to counter the Kremlin's offensive. Launching an Offensive Against the West There is another side of the story that I merely touched on at the beginning of this article. By……
How phone companies redline cell phone customers into digital ghettos
This op-ed was originally published in The Hill Why can't most inexpensive cell phones receive life-saving emergency weather alerts? Why, unlike people in the rest of the world, can't Americans listen to emergency information broadcasts on their cell phones? These are not accidents or unanticipated consequences. These are the results of deliberate decisions that have been made on the design, regulation and operation of the U.S. cell phone system. Nearly a decade ago, Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), who now chairs the House Energy & Commerce Committee, anticipated the need to expand access to emergency information. "With nearly 200 million Americans……
‘The Little Red Dot’ turns 50: Singapore’s five decades of soft power
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Singapore's emergence from a tiny third world island nation to a first world power – with no natural resources and a population smaller than some U.S. cities – was the topic of discussion at a CCLP forum here on Monday. Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, Singapore's Ambassador to the United States, noted that decades ago, Singapore was dismissed as "a little red dot." But what may have been intended as an insult became a term of pride, with "Little Red Dot" institutions sprouting through the country. Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, Singapore's Ambassador to the United States "In 1965 Singapore was……
Reeves warns of contemporary concentration camps
USC Annenberg journalism professor, author and historian professor and historian Richard Reeves says there is no doubt in his mind that the United States could again create concentration camps like those used during the internment of Japanese Americans 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," said Reeves. "The book is a cautionary……
Russian media critic named visiting fellow
Vasily Gatov, a Russian media researcher and author based in Boston, has been named a visiting fellow with the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy. Gatov, 49, has more than 28 years of professional experience in domestic and international media. "With his impressive background in both academia and journalism, Vasily Gatov is in a position to make an important contribution to issues of the kind that CCLP tackles on a regular basis," said CCLP director Geoffrey Cowan. "We are looking forward to research, blogs and conversations that will build on his experience with new media and with the challenges……
VOA chief cites imbalance in international media
The director of Voice of America called attention to the slanted news coverage by state-owned media outlets in foreign countries during the keynote luncheon of an international policy conference co-sponsored by the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP) on April 17, 2015. David Ensor was interviewed by CCLP senior fellow Adam Clayton Powell III at the Pacific Council on International Policy's Spring Conference. CCLP director Geoffrey Cowan, former VOA director, introduced Ensor and Powell to the more than 200 people from governmental, non-profit, academic, and private sectors who gathered at the historic and elegant California Club in downtown Los……
Easter egg of the two-headed eagle
This column is authored by CCLP senior fellow Vasily Gatov, founder of the Novosti Media Lab BOSTON–As the framework for a nuclear deal with Iran was concluded in Geneva, the world's press engaged in a commentary race on the meaning and implications of the agreement. One may expect a significant difference in public attitude in the U.S., EU and the Middle East; as various countries have different approaches and positions on the issues of security, consequences of the accord, and even the vision of the strategic implications. But when it comes to Russian media coverage of the Geneva process itself……
Roots of U.S. public diplomacy in 1917 echo debates of 2015
WASHINGTON – 98 years ago, the United States government formally inaugurated the first American agency of public diplomacy, and it faced the same questions in 1917 during World War I that the U.S. faces in 2015 against ISIS. That agency, the Committee on Public Information (CPI) was created to counter German propaganda and to create a more favorable image of the U.S. both at home and around the world. This agency and its mission was the topic of the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy's Washington Communication Leadership forum on Monday, featuring historians from the State Department and academic experts……