Former U.N. Deputy Special Representative to Afghanistan Peter Galbraith criticized the U.S. government's handling of the war in Afghanistan and said because of the country's recent presidential election, he does not recommend sending more troops. "The core issue is that Obama's strategy relies on having a reliable partner," he said. "A president who is not believed to be legitimate is not a reliable partner. We have to remember that troops are a valuable resource, and if the resource cannot be effectively used, it shouldn't be used. As you can see, I'm not wildly optimistic."……
Tag: Obama
Day One of CCLP Forum: Press and policymakers need to probe more deeply on rationale for war in Afghanistan
Policymakers and analysts are calling on the press to dig much deeper into the strife that engulfs Afghanistan, and to provide better analysis on the policy options now before President Obama as he weighs whether to send thousands more American troops. Former Ambassador Morton Abramowitz, who previously headed the State Department's intelligence unit, accused the press of "hit-and-run" coverage that has substituted for serious consideration of policy in Afghanistan. His observations, along with presentations and dialogue among top journalists, scholars and government officials, were presented at the inaugural Global Communication Leadership Forum , held November 6-7 in Los Angeles…….
The Etiquette of American Politics
South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson has been admonished for yelling “You lie” during President Obama’s health care speech, an outburst that startled many Americans and which others connected to this summer’s rowdy town hall behavior. However, in the United Kingdom the political process is routinely more raucous. Is American the land of polite politics… and is that changing? “There are differences in style between U.S. and U.K. political discourse,” says USC Annenberg communication professor and CCLP faculty fellow Tom Hollihan (pictured), author of Uncivil Wars: Political Campaigns in a Media Age…….
Brokaw’s legacy: The Greatest Generation
Tom Brokaw anchored NBC's "Nightly News" for 21 years. He traveled the world, covered 9/11, interviewed heads of state and followed Ronald Reagan's political career from beginning to end. His legacy, he said Wednesday, will probably involve none of that. Brokaw told an audience at the Los Angeles Public Library that his "single greatest contribution" will probably be his bestselling book, "The Greatest Generation." He talked about how on the flight to Los Angeles, two flight attendants gave him handwritten notes telling him how much the book had meant to him, how it had made them see their fathers in……
Carnegie Corporation taps CCLP for examination of government’s response to the crisis in the news industry
From a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing on the future of journalism to a new tax cut for newspapers signed into law by the governor of Washington state, policymakers nationwide are responding to the crisis facing the news business. "It's … a time of real hardship for the field of journalism ….. But it's also true that your ultimate success as an industry is essential to the success of our democracy," President Obama told members of the White House Correspondents' Association. Thanks to a grant from Carnegie Corporation, the USC Annenberg School for Communication's Center on Communication Leadership and Policy (CCLP)……
FOI Day 2009: Who will pay for the fight against secrecy?
For the beleaguered news industry, there's a rare upward trendline as it approaches next week's Freedom of Information observance. Congress passed a Freedom of Information Act upgrade last year. A new federal shield law seems within grasp. And President Obama is promising the most transparent government in history. But on Monday, Lucy Dalglish will carry a decidedly un-sunny message to Florida's FOI Day celebration: The declining fortunes of mainstream media, she will say, could cripple efforts to fight government secrecy and preserve openness. "The last 45 to 50 years, these critical issues have been led by the mainstream media," said……
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 …….
In financial crisis, the objective story shows its limits
The financial press has been taking it on the chin lately for its coverage of the nation's economic mess. Some of it's well-earned. At least several financial writers have acknowledged they should have asked more questions about the long period of easy credit, soaring asset prices and ever-growing leverage on Wall Street. To my eye, the criticism is overcooked. Even a casual reader of the business press the last few years would have known that big trouble lurked. The two dailies showing up on my doorstep in Washington the last 13 years, the Washington Post and New York Times, regularly……
A new era of bipartisanship?
Early in this year's primary election season I did a study on bipartisanship for the Center on Communication Leadership of the University of Southern California. I'm afraid I was not very optimistic that Republicans and Democrats would be able to get together on much of anything after the Clinton and Bush years of what some call "hyperpartisanship." Now I'm not so sure. I concluded then that: "My own feeling is that only a strong president with a mandate for governing through a universal crisis — a necessary war or devastating climate change — can bring any bipartisanship or, better, nonpartisanship……