‘Top Secret’ play and discussion series in New York City wrap with a bright future

Produced by LA Theatre Works in partnership with New York Theatre Workshop and Affinity Collaborative Theatre, Leroy Aarons and Geoffrey Cowan's Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers closed with rave reviews and an impressive model for using theater to explore and discuss the role of media in a democracy. The USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy organized conversations focused on the tension between issues of national security and a free press that included journalists, scholars, jurists, and public policy leaders from partner organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Columbia Journalism Review, New York University, and more…….

Applications due for inaugural Kennerly Institute on Photojournalism & Communication Leadership

Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, David Hume Kennerly has teamed with the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy for a unique one-week summer Institute, June 20-25, 2010. Blending an extraordinary hands-on assignment-photography experience with intensive academic inquiry, the Kennerly Institute is tailored for individuals seeking to hone their photojournalistic skills and to become leading-edge visual communicators. Applications are due April 20, 2010. To learn more go to the Kennerly Institute website…….

Top Secret Talks: The tension between national security and a free press is the focus of a groundbreaking CCLP series in New York

In conjunction with the Off-Broadway debut of Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers, conversations spotlight journalists, scholars, jurists and public policy leaders With the nation involved in two wars and facing continuing threats of terrorism, USC Annenberg's Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP) presents TOP SECRET TALKS, a timely examination of the tension between the government's need for secrecy and the public's right to know, in conjunction with the New York production of Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers…….

What is Government’s Role in Supporting the News Business?

A new report on the role of government in supporting newspapers and other news organizations will be released by the University of Southern California’s Center on Communication Leadership & Policy on Thursday, January 28, 2010. That same day, a press briefing will be held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. at 9:30 a.m. The report, Public Policy and Funding the News, is co-authored by Geoffrey Cowan (pictured, left), USC Annenberg School dean emeritus and director of the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP), and David Westphal, former Washington Editor for McClatchy Newspapers and current CCLP senior fellow……

CCLP Research Briefing: “Public Policy & Funding the News”

The Center on Communication Leadership and Policy (CCLP) presents findings from a new report by Geoffrey Cowan (pictured, left), USC University Professor and CCLP director, and David Westphal, CCLP senior fellow and USC Annenberg executive in residence. The report, Public Policy and Funding the News, is sponsored by Carnegie Corporation of New York. The report "analyzes some of the financial tools that government has used to support the commercial press throughout our nation's history — from postal rate discounts and tax breaks to public notices and government advertising. It documents cutbacks across a range of sectors and presents a framework……

Frontline’s Fanning decries commercialism in public broadcasting

Public broadcasters face grave risks of losing credibility and trust through increasing commercialism of their work, says David Fanning, founding executive producer of the award-winning series Frontline. It is "shameful" he says about the ways some public stations use pledge drives to market products for local sponsors. "This is our deepest embarrassment as public broadcasters…we spend more of our energy and promotional time pushing programs that have nothing to do with our mission." Fanning delivered remarks at the annual James L. Loper Lecture in Public Service Broadcasting in November before an audience of public broadcasting leaders, community leaders, scholars and……

Public Diplomacy and the USA

At a time when issues of soft/smart power are central to US foreign policy and the emerging strategy in Afghanistan, the history of American public diplomacy has an unprecedented significance. The USC Center on Public Diplomacy, in association with the USC Master of Diplomacy Program, USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, and the Public Diplomacy Council present a reception featuring USC professor and author Nick Cull and Syracuse professor Mike Schneider. This event, held at the USC offices in Washington, DC, marks the launch of Nick's new book, The Cold War and the United States Information Agency: American……

Entrepreneurship and the Community Web

In partnership with USC Annenberg’s School of Journalism, Center on Communication Leadership & Policy Senior Fellow and USC Annenberg executive in residence David Westphal convenes a meeting of top producers of web based community news and information to discuss best practices, building audiences, and serving the information needs of local communities. The program also includes presentations by Jarl Mohn, media investor, philanthropist and USC Annenberg board chairman and Jonathan Weber, founder and editor of NewWest.net. This program is part of Dean Ernest Wilson’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Literacy Initiative (ELE). There is no charge to attend, but advance registration is requested…….

Communication Leadership Reception: Senator George McGovern

The Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, in partnership with USC Annenberg School of Communication, communication professor Robert Scheer, and the USC Unruh Institute of Politics, presents a reception with former U.S. Senator and 1972 Democratic Presidential nominee George McGovern. Senator McGovern is the author of a new biography of Abraham Lincoln. From Publisher's Weekly, "In this modest, fluent bio, part of the American Presidents Series, former Democratic senator and presidential nominee McGovern finds an inspiring lesson in what a man can do with his life. McGovern's Lincoln is a smart, ambitious striver who overcame humble origins, repeated setbacks and……

Inauguration Watch

USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy and the USC Unruh Institute of Politics, invite students, faculty and friends to watch the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Following the ceremony, there will be a discussion on the inaugural speech and the future of Obama’s presidency. Guests TBA. Refreshments will be served. 8:00 a.m. USC Ground Zero Coffee House, 615 Childs Way. Postscript: For information and pictures from this event and others, visit the CCLP Collection on Flickr …….