SMPA is a pioneering teaching and research leader. Professor Silvio Waisbord is Editor of the International Journal of Press/Politics, an interdisciplinary journal for the analysis and discussion of the role of the press and politics in a globalized world.
Gain access to countless career opportunities
Students at our annual Communications Career Expo network with a CNN recruiter. SMPA helps students pursue rewarding careers in media, journalism, and communications via internships, networking events, and employment workshops.
Collaborate with faculty on research and special projects
Graduate student Rachel Weisel and Professor Kimberly Gross, in partnership with the Project for Excellence in Journalism, studied how the media uses Twitter. Their findings were published in a groundbreaking report that garnered national press coverage.
World-class speakers and events provide invaluable perspective
Students line up outside GW's Lisner Auditorium before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speak at an event hosted by SMPA. The event was broadcast on CNN.
Learn and operate industry-standard broadcasting equipment and software
SMPA Faculty and staff use the flash studio for live and recorded professional programming.
World-class speakers and events provide invaluable perspective
Longtime political reporter and broadcaster Gwen Ifill of The Newshour with Jim Lehrer addresses students.
World-class speakers and events provide invaluable perspective
CNN's Christiane Amanpour and SMPA Director Frank Sesno interview five former U.S. Secretaries of State, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, Warren Christopher, Henry A. Kissinger and James A. Baker III. The free event was sponsored by SMPA.
Study media in heart of Washington, and the world
SMPA is home to Prime Movers Media, an organization that sends student interns and media professionals to public high schools in Washington, D.C. to teach journalism.
Senior JMC major Sam Collins, Jr., was profiled recently in campus publication GW Today for his contributions to journalism both on and off campus. Here's an excerpt:
Sam Collins grew up near the Washington neighborhood of Petworth.
Although Petworth is only about five miles from Foggy Bottom, Mr. Collins, a senior in GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs, says they’re worlds apart.
“There really is a divide between Foggy Bottom and the rest of the city,” says Mr. Collins. “Most of the students here don’t know a world beyond their own surroundings, but there is a lot more to D.C. than government buildings and the downtown area.”
Mr. Collins, who is studying journalism and mass communication, is working to close that divide at GW through his publication, Ace Magazine.
Growing up, Mr. Collins, a first generation African American, witnessed crime, poverty, illiteracy and drug addiction in his own neighborhood. His parents emigrated from Liberia in the 1980s.
But thanks to his parents’ strong support of education, there was never a question that Mr. Collins would go to college. He just never imagined being able to go to a school like GW. Read more
I have a paid internship at Education Week/Editorial Projects in Education, which produces several education policy related publications, a website, and operates a research center, all supported by a nonprofit funding. This past Wednesday, I covered an event at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and a school superintendent focused on education funding reform and best school budget practices in today’s economy. I was asked to blog the event for our Teacher section, primarily to discuss how points made by the secretary and superintendent on Wednesday pertain to teachers. My blog "Duncan: Stop Paying Teachers Like 'Interchangeable Widgets" was featured on our homepage (www.edweek.org) and the subject line of our daily newsletter. So far, it has received considerable traffic/comments, given the frustrations felt by many at a time when school districts are strapped for resources and difficult cuts have affected people on a personal level. I felt fortunate to be a part of the dialogue on this topic and to meet Secretary Duncan himself.
Ryder Haske, who graduated from SMPA in May, is a lead contributor to a new exhibition called "South Africa Kicks" in the Brady Art Gallery on the second floor of MPA. He travelled to South Africa with two colleagues this past summer - writer and producer Gabriel Seder and Tyler C. Perry, editor and producer. Ryder was the photographer, videographer and editor all rolled into one as the trio illustrated the groundswell around the 2010 FIFA World Cup, depicted through the tournament's significance to the people they met along the way.
Does travelling to the war-torn Middle East ever seem old hat? Not even to Professor Sean Aday, who has been to Afghanistan three times since March 2009. He has also, on several occasions, conducted media training for Iraqi journalists and government officials on behalf of the U.S. State Department and the Canadian Foreign Ministry.
Professor Mark Feldstein took part in National Press Club's 33rd Annual Book Fair & Authors’ Night on Nov. 9, when he signed copies of his book, “POISONING THE PRESS, Richard Nixon, Jack Anderson, and the Rise of Washington’s Scandal Culture”. He is shown with SMPA adjunct faculty member Myron Belkind, who is Secretary of the National Press Club. Photo by Terry Hill.
Join the SMPA Director's Advisory Council and fellow students for a screening of "Broadcast News" on Tuesday, November 16. We'll have food, drinks and good times at 7:30 p.m. in MPA Room 306. Program is open to all students. RSVP at http://smpamovienight.eventbrite.com.
"Broadcast News" is a comedy about the lives of three employees in a Network News Bureau in Washington, DC. The plot revolves around Jane Craig (Holly Hunter) the talented producer, Aaron Altman (Albert Brooks), an intrepid reporter who yearns to one day fill the anchor seat and Tom Grunick (William Hurt), a local sports news anchor whose on-screen charm masks his intellectual shortcomings. "Broadcast News" looks at how passion and dedication are prided, yet not always rewarded, in the fast-pace world of Broadcast Television.
JURIST Guest Columnist Silvio Waisbord of George Washington University says the "anti-racism" law recently passed in Bolivia is a result of deep divisions in the country, but that it won't help, and may actually hamper, civil discourse about those issues...
Love SMPA and want to help make it a better place? The SMPA Communications Director is looking for a part-time Communications Assistant for spring semester. Must be available 12-15 hours per week. Applicants must be proactive, extremely organized, creative, tech-savvy, and feel comfortable interacting with professionals on a regular basis. Experience with Adobe Photoshop, FinalCutPro, HTML, social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Youtube, etc) a must. Duties include the writing and production of multiple digital e-newsletters (including this one), conducting interviews and writing entries for the SMPA blog, designing marketing materials, online promotions and digital marketing, compiling and executing student outreach and marketing strategy, updating SMPA website listings, and various other administrative and marketing tasks. Work study students preferred, but alternative arrangements are possible. Send your resume and a cover letter to Samara Sit at samara@gwu.edu. Deadline for submissions: 11/10/10.
After reading about it in the SMPA newsletter, Jason Calabretta (JMC '13) successfully applied to intern with The Daily Show during Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity (and/or Fear). The experience solidified his interest in professional TV and was a great time, too, he said.
"It made me realize I want to go in to broadcast television," Jason said.
He was responsible for prepping for the rally the week before, logging video, working with the production team, and organizing props.
His compensation? Backstage access and a front row seat during the show.
Jason was one of several SMPA students and recent grads who interned with the Daily Show while it was in town. He is also interning at the Newseum this semester.
We made our ad as a class assignment in support of Pat Toomey for Professor Keller's class, "Campaign Advertising." Turns out one of our group members, Noreen Kassam, knew someone working on Pat Toomey's Pennsylvania Senate campaign, sent it their way and, next thing we knew, the campaign had linked to our video on his official Facebook page!
We got a few hundred views and a bunch of compliments, and it was really cool to see a school project get noticed by a major campaign!
The Facebook Page for ToomeyForSenate
The other people in the group are also SMPA students: James "Andy" Greene, Omari Daniels, Samantha Schneider, and Noreen Kassam.
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After reading about it in the SMPA newsletter, Jason Calabretta (JMC '13) successfully applied to intern with The Daily Show during Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity (and/or Fear). The experience solidified his interest in professional TV and was a great time, too, he said.