Geoffrey Cowan named president of Sunnylands Trust

CCLP director Geoffrey Cowan, dean emeritus of the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, has been named the first president of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands. The Sunnylands Trust is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating entity established by the Annenberg Foundation primarily to hold high level retreats that "address serious issues facing the nation and the world community." Sunnylands is the name of the late Walter and Leonore Annenberg's beautiful 200-acre estate in Rancho Mirage, Calif. The estate will serve as a venue for important meetings of top government officials and leaders from education, philanthropy, the arts, culture, science……Continue Reading Geoffrey Cowan named president of Sunnylands Trust

CCLP examines the role of digital and online content in children’s education with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski

On Tuesday, September 21, USC Annenberg's Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, along with Common Sense Media, PBS Kids, and The Children's Partnership, presented Back To School : Learning & Growing in the Digital Age. The event was a public forum for leaders from Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., to discuss the best strategies for bringing technology innovations to our schools — and other learning settings — and bringing the benefits of the digital revolution to parents and kids while addressing online risks. The focuses of the lively half-day discussion were education and communication technology, covering issues such as digital……Continue Reading CCLP examines the role of digital and online content in children’s education with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski

Westphal & Cowan’s report mentioned in USPS service raise

Senior Fellow David Westphal and CCLP Director Geoffrey Cowan from their report "Public Policy and Funding the News," point out the impact postal subsidies–and their decline–have had on American journalism. The proposal to raise prices from the USPS could result in more devastating blow to already struggling newspaper industry. The full article can be read on In These Times…….Continue Reading Westphal & Cowan’s report mentioned in USPS service raise

‘Top Secret’ play and discussion series wraps in New York City

Produced by LA Theatre Works in partnership with New York Theatre Workshop and Affinity Collaborative Theatre, Leory 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 others…….Continue Reading ‘Top Secret’ play and discussion series wraps in New York City

Cowan testifies at FPPC meeting on paid political ads on the Internet

A subcommittee of the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), the state's independent watchdog for politics and campaigns, conducted a hearing at USC's Gould School of Law on March 24 to discuss the current trends of paid political activity on the Internet, email and social networking sites. CCLP director Geoffrey Cowan testified at the session, discussing the 2003 report of the Bipartisan California Commission on Internet Political Practices–which he chaired–and the developments in the area since the report was issued. Read Cowan's testimony at the proceedings. Or read the 2003 Bipartisan California Commission on Internet Political Practices report …….Continue Reading Cowan testifies at FPPC meeting on paid political ads on the Internet

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

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

State Department’s Alec Ross visits USC Annenberg to discuss new communication technologies & US foreign policy

CCLP hosted Alec Ross, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Senior Advisor for Innovation, for a visit to Los Angeles in February 2010 for a series of discussions about the impact of technology – current and potential – on key issues on the U.S. foreign policy and development agenda. CCLP director Geoffrey Cowan and USC Annenberg Dean Ernest J. Wilson III brought together entertainment, media, and academic leaders to explore ways in which their experience and expertise might facilitate the application of mobile, web and other rapidly evolving technologies in areas like human rights, economic development and women's empowerment…….Continue Reading State Department’s Alec Ross visits USC Annenberg to discuss new communication technologies & US foreign policy

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