For the 16th year, the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy (CCLP) and its partners hosted academic discussions at the national political conventions. A joint election-year panel series, “The Annenberg Roundtable Conversations on Politics, Media, and Society,” convened students and guests for important conversations at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, July 16-18, and Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, August 19-22.
The Annenberg Roundtable series was a collaboration between CCLP and the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. The USC program was led by CCLP Director Geoffrey Cowan and Director of USC’s Washington Programs Adam Clayton Powell III, and the Penn program was led by David Eisenhower, Marjorie Margolies, and Craig Snyder.
Inspired by the vision of Walter and Leonore Annenberg, the schools have joined forces since 2008 to involve students and visitors in conversations with prominent journalists, historians, politicians, and global figures.
“Conventions are a time when nominees are selected and platforms are adopted, but it is also a time for dialogue about important issues,” Cowan told attendees at the opening of the RNC program. “We think universities have a role in doing that.”
The Annenberg Roundtable series at the RNC featured panels on public diplomacy, election cybersecurity, intraparty dissent, why history matters, and Pennsylvania’s swing state politics. One roundtable on politics and the media was co-hosted by POLITICO. The series also presented surprise talks with Newsmax anchor Greta Van Susteren, FOX 11 News anchor Elex Michaelson, and Former National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien.
The Annenberg Roundtables at the DNC expanded upon a number of conversations from the RNC, including on public diplomacy, election cybersecurity, history, politics and the media, and intraparty dissent. New roundtables featured topics including Latino voters, Gen Z politics, and landslide elections, and CCLP had the privilege of hosting a lunchtime conversation with Democratic pollster Celinda Lake. In addition, CCLP was proud to present panels in collaboration with Common Sense Media about the American family agenda and Ms. Magazine about the role of women in 2024.
All events at the Annenberg Roundtables were free and open to the public and press.
Republican National Convention
July 16-18, 2024
Milwaukee, WI
CCLP and Penn Annenberg, in collaboration with POLITICO, presented three days of open discussions on important domestic and international issues at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
For a summary of each day’s events, read CCLP’s RNC magazine:
Guests included former US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, host of The Record on Newsmax Greta Van Susteren, Fox 11 anchor Elex Michaelson, CNN political analyst and Republican strategist David Urban, Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, Washington Post national political columnist Karen Tumulty, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel state politics reporter Jessie Opoien, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer David Hume Kennerly, former NPR president John Lansing, VOA Director Michael Abramowitz, former Ambassador to Angola Cynthia Efird, and former presidential candidate Joe Walsh.
Watch video highlights of the RNC roundtables: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxEjTAYE4Rs
Democratic National Convention
August 19-22, 2024
Chicago, IL
CCLP and Penn Annenberg, in collaboration with Common Sense Media, Ms. Magazine, and POLITICO, hosted 12 roundtable talks over four days at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
For a summary of each day’s events, read CCLP’s DNC magazine:
Guests included historian Douglas Brinkley, RFK Human Rights President Kerry Kennedy, Sirius XM host Steve Scully, Chicago Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet, New York Times reporter Jennifer Medin, political strategist Simon Rosenberg, U.S. Representative Nanette Barragán, Telemundo anchor Julio Vaqueiro, Ms. Magazine Editor Katherine Spillar, political strategist Celinda Lake, Common Sense Media CEO Jim Steyer, Leaders We Deserve Founder David Hogg, former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs; actress and activist Rosario Dawson, polling expert John Della Volpe, and Los Angeles Times legal columnist Harry Litman.
Watch video recordings of the DNC roundtables: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGLXlACxJE4TiTwhFcoNcW6Knvn99t68I