The Wall Street Journal cited "The People v. Clarence Darrow" by CCLP Director Geoffrey Cowan as the No. 1 book about trial lawyers. While defending labor activists accused of a 1910 bombing, Darrow was implicated in jury tampering; the noted lawyer defended himself and was acquitted. The article noted that Cowan weighs the evidence in his book, and concludes that Darrow was probably guilty…….Continue Reading Trial Lawyers at Work
Category: In the News
African American media struggling to survive
Public Radio International's "Here and Now" interviewed Faculty Fellow Christopher Holmes Smith about African-American media outlets struggling to survive. The magazines are losing relevance because of class and generational differences within the black community, Smith said…….Continue Reading African American media struggling to survive
Death an emotional rallying cry in Iran
The Los Angeles Daily News quoted Senior Fellow David Westphal about the widely viewed footage of Iranian protester Neda Agha-Soltan dying from a gunshot wound. "The 'Neda' video wasn't the only amateur video that millions of people have been seeing over the last week, but it was clearly the most emotionally powerful, wrenchingly powerful, example," Westphal said…….Continue Reading Death an emotional rallying cry in Iran
She Was Never About Those Huddled Masses
The Washington Post ran a widely carried op-ed by Faculty Fellow Roberto Suro about the Statue of Liberty. Suro suggested that the Emma Lazarus poem on the statue – which includes the line "Give me your tired, your poor" – be removed. "We live in a different era of immigration, and the schmaltzy sonnet offers a dangerously distorted picture of the relationship between newcomers and their new land," Suro wrote. Suro also participated in an online forum by The Washington Post…….Continue Reading She Was Never About Those Huddled Masses
Political rumors getting harder to dispel
Contra Costa Times quoted Faculty Fellow Thomas Hollihan about the circulation of false political rumors online. "What happens is these are sent to people of like-minded beliefs and are often given more credibility than they deserve," Hollihan said. Part of the problem is poor levels of information literacy, he added…….Continue Reading Political rumors getting harder to dispel
Sizing Up Leadership In The Face Of Crisis
Investor's Business Daily featured Distinguished Fellow Warren Bennis, recognizing him as a trailblazer in the field of leadership studies. "Bennis has advised five U.S. presidents, sold millions of books and published thousands of articles," the story noted. "Leaders have a creative idea to get out of the ordinary and set goals for the unknown," Bennis said. "It takes a certain kind of courage and confidence. They have an idea for the possibility of being big."……Continue Reading Sizing Up Leadership In The Face Of Crisis
The United States of Optimism
BusinessWeek ran an op-ed by Senior Fellow Richard Reeves about Americans' persistent optimism. Reeves wrote that his journalism students are uninterested in the-sky-is-falling dirges. He added: "My students, frankly, are not much interested in history … . Instead, to gauge their prospects, they look ahead. Today they realize, among other things, that they are empowered by their knowledge of technological changes that scare their elders. And they are right to feel hopeful about this."……Continue Reading The United States of Optimism
L.A. must not skimp on ethics
The Los Angeles Times noted that CCLP Director Geoffrey Cowan headed the independent citizens commission that drafted the original charter amendment for the Los Angeles Ethics Commission, which is facing possible budget cuts. Rigorous ethics standards should be regarded as a tool of economic efficiency, Cowan said. "If the ethics code works as it should and is adequately enforced, it saves the city money by reducing the hidden costs of corruption," he explained…….Continue Reading L.A. must not skimp on ethics
How L.A. City Council Got Those Huge $178,789 Salaries
L.A. Weekly noted that CCLP Director Geoffrey Cowan was involved in crafting the 1990 ballot initiative Measure H, which created the City Ethics Commission, among other Los Angeles City Council reforms…….Continue Reading How L.A. City Council Got Those Huge $178,789 Salaries
Newspapers search for business model
American Public Media's "Marketplace" interviewed Senior Fellow David Westphal about the problems facing the newspaper industry. The business is in limbo, with no clear version of what the next phase will be, Westphal said. "A lot of people make the good point that the public's demand for news and information has really gone up – not down or stayed the same; it's gone up," he said. "The problem is that there is not … a business model around the next bend that we can look at and say with confidence, 'Oh, I can see where the money's going to come……Continue Reading Newspapers search for business model