NPR, Juan Williams and the Clash of News and Talk

"Would you have fired Juan if you were still Vice President of News at NPR?" asked a longtime friend. He was referring of course to NPR News analyst Juan Williams' expression of concern about fellow airplane passengers in "Muslim garb." (Rhetoric note: He was trying to make the exact reverse point than his subordinate preamble suggested, so he's due demerits for poor phrasing.) My answer: It's not a hypothetical. We actually faced these same issues in the late 1980's, when I was head of NPR News: Cokie Roberts, who was covering Capitol Hill for NPR, received an offer from ABC……

PBS: End of the Old Boys Network?

Los Angeles station KCET's announcement on Friday that it is canceling all PBS programs is a dramatic, all-stakes-on-the-table gamble. KCET is gambling that, without hefty payments to PBS and substituting a new lineup of independent and international programs for the PBS network feed, it will be a smaller but sustainable public service broadcaster. For its part, PBS is gambling that KCET cannot possibly go through with its plan and will have no alternative but to pay the substantial dues required to keep PBS programs on the station…….

Campaign advertising is now reaching into the voting booth

Photo credit: secretlondon on FlickrWASHINGTON — Political advertising is reaching into polling places and even into the voting booth. That is one of three trends for 2010 campaign advertising identified by Peter Greenberger, Google's head of Public Sector Ad Sales. What's that, you say? Politicking is not allowed within 100 feet of polling places? How quaint. How very 20th century. Once again the law governs atoms, not bits…….

Wikipedia & The Future of News at AEJMC

At the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication conference in Denver on August 6, 2010, Senior Fellows Adam Clayton Powell III and David Westphal presented their latest findings on "The Future of News". Powell's also released an addition to his 2006 publication, Reinventing Local News, entitled Reinventing Local News: 2010, and is available to read on our blog…….

Reinventing Local News: 2010 details how technology and innovation may save local news

While revenues decline for traditional media organizations despite high demand for news and information, technology and innovation may be saving local news, according to Reinventing Local News: 2010, a report released by the University of Southern California's Center on Communication Leadership & Policy at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. In Reinventing Local News: 2010, Adam Clayton Powell III updates his landmark 2006 book Reinventing Local News: Connecting Communities Through New Technologies…….

Adam Clayton Powell Daily Breeze

Daily Breeze quoted Adam Clayton Powell III, Senior Fellow and USC Vice Provost for Globalization, on USC's partnership with Songdo Global University Campus in South Korea…….

U.S. gov’t, foundation subsidies of news media attract criticism in Africa

GRAHAMSTOWN, South Africa — African Journalists were critical today of reports that U.S. journalists receive subsidies and payments from foundations and the U.S. government. Two recent Annenberg reports were discussed at an annual media forum here, at the Highway Africa Conference 2010: "Public Policy and Funding the News" focuses on historic and current federal subsidies for news media. And "Philanthropic Foundations: Growing Funders of the News" is an analysis of increasing foundation support for American journalism…….

Powell appointed USC’s director of Washington policy initiatives

Adam Clayton Powell III, CCLP Senior Fellow, has been named the University of Southern California's director of Washington policy initiatives. His new position was announced to the USC faculty and staff by the Acting Provost, Elizabeth Garrett on July 2, 2010. In his new position, Powell will work closely with the USC vice provost of global initiatives on a number of important projects, including the USC Africa Initiative and the university's continued efforts in India. He will also assist USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism on strategic initiatives, including important projects focused on communication policy. In addition, Powell will……

Annual Fellows Luncheon highlights CCLP impact in a variety of fields

Geoffrey Cowan (left) and Warren Bennis at the Annual Fellows Luncheon held at the University of Southern California. Faculty, staff and friends of the Center on Communication Leadership and Policy (CCLP) gathered for the second Annual Fellows Luncheon to honor senior, faculty, research, law, graduate and junior fellows. Following welcoming remarks from managing director Geoffrey Baum and director Geoffrey Cowan, guests and honorees listened as select fellows described projects and accomplishments during the 2009-2010 academic year. Distinguished fellow, noted author and leadership scholar Warren Bennis was the featured guest, offering observations about the rising importance of the communication field…….

‘Avatar,’ Other Hit Movies Use 3D Technology from the 1930s

Much of the financial news of late from the Hollywood studios focuses on the revenue gushers generated by recently released 3D movies, such as "Avatar," "Alice in Wonderland" and "How to Train Your Dragon." But the latest cycle of 3-D movies rely on what is really quite an old technology. No, we're not talking about such 1950's 3D classics as "Bwana Devil." Think older, much older: It turns out our grandparents enjoyed 3D movies, turned out by the major Hollywood studios… in the 1930s. Only then it was called S3D. Maybe the third time is the charm. Or maybe not:……