As local print, radio and television news divisions struggle to stay afloat, online community news sites are increasingly filling the gaps left by traditional news outlets. But, do these hyper-local, online startups offer a sustainable business model different from their traditional counterparts? The USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP) seeks to answer that question with the publication of a new case study on the challenges facing the Long Beach Post, an online news website launched in 2006. The report, "Online Community News: A Case Study in Long Beach, California — What It Takes to Survive and Thrive"……Continue Reading CCLP researchers examine viability of online community news sites; Report profiles challenges facing Long Beach Post
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Journalism entrepreneurship on the hyperlocal level – a case study in community news
“There is a profound crisis taking place in American journalism.” That is the introductory line to the case study being published today by the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy. My coauthor, María Vázquez, and I hope that this case, which focuses on the real life trials and tribulations of a four year old community news web site in a suburb of Los Angeles, will add to the admittedly parse academic literature on what some people call “hyper-local news”. Existing news magazines and newspapers face serious threats to their continued profitability and viability. The future outlook for local……Continue Reading Journalism entrepreneurship on the hyperlocal level – a case study in community news
There Are No Easy Choices in Libya
LOS ANGELES — Adam Zyglis, the editorial cartoonist of The Buffalo News, did a portrait of President Obama sitting on an oil drum in the classic chin-on-hand pose of Auguste Rodin's "The Thinker." Behind him, war raged in the Middle East and "Freedom" was under a tank and rubble. Zyglis' caption was "The Overthinker." Well, although Obama may be a touch too thoughtful to be a president in the decisive mold of a Harry Truman, he does have a lot to think about. I count at least 11 options in Libya, all of them risky…….Continue Reading There Are No Easy Choices in Libya
Support Democracy: Subscribe to a Newspaper, Says Faculty Fellow Tom Hollihan at CCLP Democracy Forum
L to R: Lisa Garcia Bedolla, CCLP Faculty Fellow Tom Hollihan, Carolyn De La PenaPhoto Credit: California Council for the Humanities"You want to do something good for democracy?" asked Tom Hollihan, Ph.D., USC Annenberg professor and CCLP faculty fellow. "Subscribe to a newspaper!" he told the audience at the California Council for the Humanities' Searching for Democracy Forum, a symposium co-sponsored by the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy. Hollihan's suggestion that a strong democracy requires a vibrant news media was just one of many views on democracy and civic discourse offered by participants at the March 4th……Continue Reading Support Democracy: Subscribe to a Newspaper, Says Faculty Fellow Tom Hollihan at CCLP Democracy Forum
Secretary Clinton and the Information War
This article was written by CCLP Faculty Fellow Philip Seib. In testimony to Congress last week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acknowledged the existence of an ongoing "information war" that the United States is losing. In addition to saying that "Al Jazeera is winning," Clinton pointed to the major investments in international broadcasting being made by China and Russia. The Chinese effort is of particular importance. As Secretary Clinton said, "We are in a competition for influence with China; let's put aside the moral, humanitarian, do-good side of what we believe in, and let's just talk straight realpolitik."……Continue Reading Secretary Clinton and the Information War
Leading the Way to Better News: The Role of Leadership in a World Where Most of the “Powers That Be” Became the “Powers That Were”
By Geoffrey Cowan Shorenstein Center Fellow, Fall 2007 University Professor and Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership, University of Southern California February 15, 2008 #D-44 © 2008 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Published by Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy Discussion Paper Series Abstract During the past several years, as traditional news operations have faced sharp declines in circulation, advertising, viewership, and audiences, and as they have begun to make a seemingly unrelenting series of cuts in the newsroom budgets, scholars and professionals have been seeking formulas or models designed to reverse……Continue Reading Leading the Way to Better News: The Role of Leadership in a World Where Most of the “Powers That Be” Became the “Powers That Were”
Seib in Fast Company – Al Jazeera
In an article by FastCompany, Faculty Fellow Phil Seib has been cited on the inquiry to made by cable companies like Time Warner and Comcast to bring Al Jazeera to an American audience. Seib argues that the ownership of Al Jazeera by Sheik Hamad bin Thamer al-Thani and its location in Qatar has allowed the network to functionas a source of diplomatic leverage for the Qatari government…….Continue Reading Seib in Fast Company – Al Jazeera
Glickman in PR Newswire – Aspen
The Aspen Institute has announced the appointment of Senior Fellow Dan Glickman to the position of executive director of its Congressional Program, according to PR Newswire. "The Institute could not have found a person better suited to assume leadership of this remarkable program than Dan Glickman," said Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson…….Continue Reading Glickman in PR Newswire – Aspen
Bennis in PR Web – Linkage
Distinguished Fellow Warren Bennis will serve as faculty member to Linkage's Organizational Development Summit, according to PR Web. This seminar was created by The HR Generalist School and was designed to equip Human Resource Generalists tasked with additional responsibilities–including strategic organizational development initiatives–for success…….Continue Reading Bennis in PR Web – Linkage
Education and training of foreign service must be enhanced to protect US interests
With support from the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, senior fellow Jeremy Curtin was the lead drafter of a major new study Forging a 21st Century Diplomatic Service for the United States Through Professional Education and Training , sponsored by the American Academy of Diplomacy and the Stimson Center in Washington, DC. The report focuses on the new and expanding demands on American diplomacy in the 21st century and the training and resources required to meet them successfully. The report argues that the rising importance of "civilian power" in the U.S. national security equation, as Secretary of State Hillary……Continue Reading Education and training of foreign service must be enhanced to protect US interests