Category: In the News

Oscar’s cracked glass ceiling

The Los Angeles Times featured a study by Faculty Fellow Stacy L. Smith. The LAT reported: "The population might be more than 50% female, but actresses nabbed only 29.9% of the 4,379 speaking parts in the 100 top-grossing films of 2007, according to a recently released study by Stacy L. Smith, a professor at the Annenberg School for Communications & Journalism at USC. Only 2.7% of the directors on those films were women, but when they did step behind the camera, the percentage of female characters jumped dramatically, to as high as 44.6%, compared with 29.3% when the director was……Continue Reading Oscar’s cracked glass ceiling

The Best of times: MPAA’s Dan Glickman prepares to move on

Film Journal featured Senior Fellow Dan Glickman's leadership of the Motion Picture Association of America and his decision to step down as chairman and CEO to head Refugees International. Of his work with the MPAA, he said, "No other industry, on a day-to-day basis, impacts in the same way how people feel about themselves." Looking back, he says of this "very, very spectacular opportunity" to represent Hollywood in Washington, D.C. and around the world: "I am just very glad to have been a part of it."……Continue Reading The Best of times: MPAA’s Dan Glickman prepares to move on

Landmark Settlement with African American Farmers is Long Overdue

Senior Fellow Dan Glickman wrote a piece for The Huffington Post on the government's landmark settlement with African-American farmers regarding discriminatory practices by some USDA employees. He wrote: "Even after serving 18 years on the House Agriculture Committee, when I became Agriculture Secretary in 1995, I was scarcely aware of this chapter in the history of USDA. As I faced my confirmation and entered office, I was prepared for the challenges of writing farm policy, the complexity of food assistance programs, and the unnerving difficulties of the historic changes in US forestry policy then unfolding. I never imagined that I……Continue Reading Landmark Settlement with African American Farmers is Long Overdue

Should Government Support Journalism? It Always Has

AOL News ran an op-ed by Senior Fellow David Westphal on whether government should support journalism. "In a report issued at USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, my colleague Geoffrey Cowan and I concluded that federal, state and local governments have contributed billions of dollars a year to the commercial news business," Westphal wrote. "Is there a role for the government in helping ensure that citizens continue to get the news and information they need in American democracy? One popular response is no; government has no place in subsidizing the news business. Our findings disagree: It has always taken……Continue Reading Should Government Support Journalism? It Always Has

New Study Traces History of Government Subsidies for the Media

The New York Times featured research by CCLP Director Geoffrey Cowan and Senior Fellow David Westphal, which found that though American newspapers have relied on government subsidies since this country's founding, that support has dropped sharply in the last four decades. "The knee-jerk reaction tends to be that government can't get involved," Cowan said. "We think it's important for people to understand that the government has been involved from the beginning, and that the subsidies were much larger in the past."……Continue Reading New Study Traces History of Government Subsidies for the Media

Centuries-Old Bailout of Newspapers is Going Away, Report Warns

Editor & Publisher featured research by CCLP director Geoffrey Cowan and senior fellow David Westphal that found that though American newspapers have relied on government subsidies since this country's founding, that support has dropped sharply in the last four decades. In today's dollars, government support for newspapers and magazines has fallen to less than $2 billion from more than $4 billion in 1970. Cowan and Westphal said that government print notices, which provide significant revenue for newspapers, will most likely migrate to the Web…….Continue Reading Centuries-Old Bailout of Newspapers is Going Away, Report Warns

Book World: Review of Daring Young Men by Richard Reeves

The Washington Post reviewed "Daring Young Men: The Heroism and Triumph of the Berlin Airlift, June 1948-May 1949," by Senior Fellow Richard Reeves. "…Reeves, a bestselling author of three presidential biographies and several other books, has delved into declassified archives and provided fresh insights into the power clashes between Truman, Stalin and other leading figures," the article stated. "But the real value of Reeves's book lies in the remarkable human sagas he collected through hundreds of interviews with uncelebrated pilots, mechanics, weathermen and ground controllers who sustained the airlift for almost a year."……Continue Reading Book World: Review of Daring Young Men by Richard Reeves

Chief of Hollywood Trade Group to Step Down

The New York Times ran a story on Senior Fellow Dan Glickman's announcement that he was stepping down from his post as chairman and chief executive of the Motion Picture Association of America effective April 1, 2010 to become president of Refugees International. In the article, Glickman notes that state-sponsored film incentives expanded rapidly during his tenure. "Four or five states had them when I came in, today there are over 40."……Continue Reading Chief of Hollywood Trade Group to Step Down