Howdy, folks, and welcome to Saturday Video Roundup, where today our guests tackle the tricky issue of education and politics. Up first, one of our heroes offers some thoughts on education in our ownership society.
Read moreIn fall of 1987 I was in my first semester of an English MA program at Iowa State, and was taking a seminar in contemporary American poets. The class was an eye-opener for me, as I’d not read many poets later than Dylan Thomas, and if you’re going to be a real writer it’s always helpful to know a thing
Read morePart four in a series. I hope that by this stage of the discussion a few fundamental points are evident: Traditional journalism – the institutional form that most of us grew up with and the codes that governed it – is in decline. For a variety of factors it has lost (or is rapidly losing) its place as the dominant
Read morePart three in a series. In the aftermath of the 2004 election I wrote a fairly jaded op-ed for Editor & Publisher lamenting just how badly our brave new world of electronic media had failed us. I said, in part: In the “marketplace of ideas” model that gave rise to the First Amendment, rationally self-interested citizens would enter the market
Read morePart two in a series. Let’s begin with a brief look at how Americans view the press. A 2004 Gallup Poll says “Americans rate the trustworthiness of journalists at about the level of politicians and as only slightly more credible than used-car salesmen.” Only about one in five Americans “believe journalists have high ethical standards, ranking them below auto mechanics
Read moreIt doesn’t seem controversial to suggest that journalism in America (and beyond) is in trouble, and there are any number of factors contributing to the malaise. A particular concern of mine has been the decline in the efficacy of what we’ll call “objective journalism” – that is, the institutionalized press that dominated newsgathering and production throughout the better part of
Read moreThe hottest thing on the Internets right now is the video of Miss Teen South Carolina trying, unsuccessfully, to answer a painfully simple question. In this SVR Special Report, we look at new developments in this breaking story. First, for those of you who had trouble following Miss Upton’s answer, here’s a subtitled version, which adds a whole new layer
Read moreWhether your pet peeve is the “US American” educational system, beauty pageants, the state of South Carolina or blondes, there’s something here for everybody.
Read moreIn America, the Republicans are seen as the party of money and wealth. This perception is certainly accurate in one sense – the GOP is the favored party of the wealthy elite. Unfortunately, the party is also supported in large numbers by those who have no wealth, and thanks to the policies of the Republican party, no hope of ever
Read moreTo some extent, science has always been more shaped by political realities and pressures than we usually admit. After all, science is “objective,” done properly, and when we look at a scientific study we like to think we’re looking at the best approximation of fact and truth possible at the present moment. Of course, this is hardly so. Say you
Read moreOur much-beloved senior senator from the state of Massachusetts is stumping for a massive No Child Left Untested Behind re-up, and we ought to all be concerned. As the footer to the article notes, Teddy was one of the authors of the act. He’s kind enough to acknowledge that it’s not perfect legislation and does point to important concerns (you
Read moreYou may have noticed this new report: Nation falling behind in grads By Michelle Maitre MediaNews Americans are losing their edge in a global economy because not enough young people are graduating from college, according to a report released today by a higher education think tank. As the baby boom generation ages and retires, a well-educated corps of young people
Read moreI turn 44 tomorrow, so the timing is about right for a mid-life crisis, no? Some guys deal with their mid-life crises by buying little red sports cars, but most of us professors can barely afford the payments on our mid-sized economy sedans as it is. Some cheat on their wives with pretty girls 15 years younger than them, but
Read moreRemarks presented to the 1st International Summit on Electronic Communication & Culture Popular Culture Association National Conference Electronic Communication Area San Antonio, Texas March 26-29, 1997 Samuel R. Smith Center for Mass Media Research School of Journalism & Mass Communication University of Colorado Over the past few years the Internet has become one of the most talked-about innovations in our
Read moreA Paper Presented to the Music Area of The Popular Culture Association April 13, 1995 Samuel R. Smith Center for Mass Media Research University of Colorado Up through The Unforgettable Fire (1984) U2 were generally regarded as relentless critics of political repression and religious/ethnic violence, especially as practiced by warring Protestant and Catholic factions in Northern Ireland. They had established
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lullaby pit 