Stating the obvious: Politicians know politics; that's their business. Business is not their business, and any discussion about American presidents and economics has to begin with this discouraging word: American politicians, with a very small number of exceptions, don't know anything about economics. In Washington, during the deficit debates for the past few weeks, politicians are guessing–as I think most economists and pundits are–and they seize on almost any deficit idea that sounds good at the time. It has been ever thus: A mainstream American conservative, Richard Nixon, blurts out that we are all Keynesians now, and a mainstream American……
Tag: Washington
Media executives, policymakers and scholars assess public media’s future
Public broadcasting executives, journalists, policymakers, and others met in USC's Washington, DC office on Monday, July 25 to discuss growing threats to public broadcasting stations across the US. The program featured opening remarks by Geoffrey Cowan, director of the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy and was organized by Adam Clayton Powell III, CCLP's senior fellow who has served in top positions at several commercial and public news organizations. USC Annenberg's Dean Ernest J. Wilson III also participated in the forum. Tom Thomas, Co-CEO of Station Resource Group, observed that while public broadcasters have always had aspirations that exceeded available……
Copps offers rebuttal to FCC report on the future of news
WASHINGTON — Federal Communications Commission member Michael J. Copps is calling for reinvigorated federal regulation of broadcasting to encourage more, and more serious journalism. Expanding on his June 9 remarks following the release of the FCC's staff report on the information needs of communities, Copps criticized the report's optimism about the Internet. "What we have gained on the Internet," said Copps (pictured left), "does not match what we have lost" due to cutbacks in newspaper and broadcast newsrooms. And he urged new FCC regulatory initiatives to help create new and strengthened forums for journalism and debate…….
Senior Fellow Kit Rachlis named editor of American Prospect
Congratulations to senior fellow Kit Rachlis on his selection as editor of The American Prospect. ———————————————————————————– Press Release The American Prospect Announces New Editor Washington, DC-Miles S. Rapoport, President of The American Prospect magazine (www.prospect.org), today announced that Kit Rachlis will become the magazine's new Editor. Rachlis' career in journalism spans almost 30 years, during which time he has been an editor at The Village Voice, the LA Weekly, the Los Angeles Times and most recently at Los Angeles magazine. "We are thrilled to welcome Kit Rachlis to The Prospect," said Rapoport, who is also President of Demos (www.demos.org), The……
Glickman on Fox DC – “Changes in Congress”
Senior Fellow Dan Glickman appeared on the Fox affiliate in Washington, D.C. and discussed the challenges that are likely to face Congress in 2011, especially with the dramatic changes brought about by the midterm elections. Video of Glickman can be found here…….
Laughing at Democracy at the Mall
Marty Kaplan is one smart guy. He is now the director of the Norman Lear Center for the study of entertainment and society at the Annenberg School of the University of Southern California. The rest of his resume is embarrassing to the rest of us: He graduated summa cum laude in molecular biology from Harvard, received a first in English at Cambridge, earned a Ph.D. in modern thought from Stanford and, as a vice president of Disney, wrote a movie for Eddie Murphy. He has this theory about entertainment taking over the news, even the world. At the blackboard, he……
Powell appointed USC’s director of Washington policy initiatives
Adam Clayton Powell III, CCLP Senior Fellow, has been named the University of Southern California's director of Washington policy initiatives. His new position was announced to the USC faculty and staff by the Acting Provost, Elizabeth Garrett on July 2, 2010. In his new position, Powell will work closely with the USC vice provost of global initiatives on a number of important projects, including the USC Africa Initiative and the university's continued efforts in India. He will also assist USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism on strategic initiatives, including important projects focused on communication policy. In addition, Powell will……
Why Washington Doesn’t Work Anymore
What killed bipartisanship in the governing of America? Basically, I think, it was the jet plane and Blackberries. In fact, those two mechanical marvels may break up the whole nation into, say, 350 million countries. A country for every man, woman and child. Why can't the representatives of we, the people, agree on even the things they agree on? The answer is that they don't know each other. In the old days there was a community called Washington — or maybe just Georgetown — where Republicans and Democrats lived together. They carpooled. They had dinner with each other and exchanged……