Most of what you read, see and hear about Afghanistan is not meant for you. The words, optimistic and pessimistic, right and wrong, all the leaks, all the numbers of troop estimates, costs and polls are aimed at an audience of one: the president. It is very hard to get to chat with any president. But any president has to know what is in the big three of American newspapers (or their Web sites): The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal. And those papers right now are filled with shouting and whispering to President Obama. The……Continue Reading An Audience Of One
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Galbraith recommends no troop surge in Afghanistan at Day Two of Global Communication Leadership Forum
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."……Continue Reading Galbraith recommends no troop surge in Afghanistan at Day Two of Global Communication Leadership Forum
Communication Leadership CEO Series: Peter Chernin, News Corporation
USC Annenberg’s Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP), in partnership with USC Spectrum and USC Marshall School of Business presents a conversation with legendary media executive and innovator Peter Chernin. From the mid-1990s through 2009, Chernin served as president of News Corporation, the $30 billion multimedia conglomerate that includes Twentieth Century Fox Film, Fox Broadcasting Company and online media companies like MySpace and Hulu. He is also founder and chairman of the global health organization, Malaria No More. USC University Professor and CCLP director Geoffrey Cowan will lead Chernin in a wide-ranging conversation with students about the transformation of……Continue Reading Communication Leadership CEO Series: Peter Chernin, News Corporation
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…….Continue Reading Day One of CCLP Forum: Press and policymakers need to probe more deeply on rationale for war in Afghanistan
Do Bloggers Have First Amendment Rights?
Issue 1: The Shield Law (Note: This is the first in a series of posts about this topic by Kelsey Browne & Ariel Fox)What is a blogger? The myriad ways in which blogging takes shape make definition difficult. Ranging from online diaries to overt advertisements to community newssites, blogs send forth a wide range of varied speech into the world. How should this speech be regulated, and how should such regulations be reconciled with the First Amendment? As with non-internet speech, questions of who the speaker is, and what the context and subject of the speech is, remain paramount. But……Continue Reading Do Bloggers Have First Amendment Rights?
Here come the non-news organizations
(Note: The following are notes made for remarks at Thursday's conference at the Joan Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics, and Public Policy on "How to Make Money in News." I spoke briefly about foundation-funded journalism and made a special note about the emerging non-news organizations.) I'm going to talk briefly about another of the missions of Geoff Cowan's center (the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy) and of USC Annenberg and that is the nonprofit new-media sector, including operations financed by foundations and other philanthropy. I also want to mention an emerging model that's worth watching: the non-news organizations. These……Continue Reading Here come the non-news organizations
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……Continue Reading Communication Leadership Reception: Senator George McGovern
Obamas branch beyond TV news shows
The Baltimore Sun quoted Faculty Fellow Philip Seib about the Obama family's appearances on TV shows like "Iron Chef America" and "The Colbert Report." "Obama and his people understand that you have to constantly pop up in all these different venues like ESPN, the Food Network, and Comedy Central because the audience has become so segmented – so chopped up," Seib said. "It used to be if you wanted to reach the majority of the American public, you just called up Walter Cronkite and said, 'Come on, we'll give you a half-hour in the White House.' And that was it,……Continue Reading Obamas branch beyond TV news shows
Newsday is first to take the plunge, goes all-pay online next week; one major provider vows to remain free
NEW YORK — Look, up in the sky! It's a balloon! No, it's not Falcom Heene floating over Colorado (or not, as it turned out). It's Terry Jimenez, floating over Long Island! Who??? Dear readers, meet Terry Jimenez, hero to newspaper publishers and scourge of free content on the Internet. What, you've never heard of him? Those of you without the Terry Jimenez poster can write to the Newspaper Association of America. Think of the iconic Farrah Fawcett poster, but with presses rolling. Really. No, just kidding (I think)…….Continue Reading Newsday is first to take the plunge, goes all-pay online next week; one major provider vows to remain free
Stanton’s local strategy: data and citizen participation
Russ Stanton is one of my favorite people. Imagine the stereotype of a reserved, slightly stuffy big-city editor and that's not Russ.The editor of the Los Angeles Times for the last 20 months, Stanton is uncommonly down to earth and available. But the main reason I like him is his public honesty. Stanton's default response is to tell the truth — something that doesn't come easily to most executives struggling to keep their enterprise alive. Asked earlier this year how many news staffers could be sustained if the Times went Web only, Stanton could have been forgiven for taking a……Continue Reading Stanton’s local strategy: data and citizen participation