Adjunct Wins Public Service Award From Emerson College
February 28th, 2011

Professor Peter Loge will be returning to his alma mater in March to accept an award he once helped to create.

Peter LogeAs the recipient of Emerson College's 2011 Walter Littlefield Distinguished Speaker in Rhetoric and Communication Award, Professor Loge will be recognized for his professional achievements in the public service communication sector. The award was founded by Loge and many of his fellow Emerson alumni to celebrate the 30-year career of their professor, Walter "Walt" Littlefield, who taught about the ethical uses of communication for political and social advocacy.

Loge has been working in professional politics and communication since 1992. He has held senior positions with three congressional House members and one senator. His roles were Chief of Staff, Communications Director, and Campaign Manager to U.S. Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA), Director of Constituent Services to former U.S. Representative Sam Coppersmith (D-AZ), and Deputy to the Chief of Staff to Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA). He has also advised numerous advocacy and non-profit organizations as the Senior Vice President of M&R Strategic Services, a national public affairs and political consulting firm. His time as the director of The Justice Project led to the passage of the Innocence Protection Act that President George W. Bush signed into law just prior to the 2004 election. Currently, Loge serves as the principal of Milo Public Affairs, LLC, which he launched in 2007.

With his in-depth resume, Loge will be accepting the award that his colleagues originated to recognized public service done by Emerson alumni. He will receive his award on campus in conjunction with Emerson's annual Communications Week in March, and will deliver a lecture as part of the award ceremony. Read the rest of this entry »

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SMPA Bowling Night A Success
February 25th, 2011

About 35 students and professors of SMPA gathered for a friendly competition of bowling at GW's Hippodrome last night. Journalism and Political Communication majors were paired bowling1with their favorite professors as well as SMPA Fellow (and CNN Senior White House Correspondent) Ed Henry and his family for a night of networking and bowling2school bonding.

SMPA Director Frank Sesno made his way around the bowling alley talking with students and playing in various games, ultimately beating his entire team with the impressive score of 110. Ed Henry was the only man who was able to beat Director Sesno in a "bowl-off" toward the end of the night. Professor Jason Osder was also one of the shining stars of the night beating all of the students he bowled with while other professors were more comfortable observing and mingling with the students.

Being such a small and selective school, this bowling night provided students with the opportunity to meet more students within SMPA that they might not have met otherwise. In between turns, students were discussing certain classes they had taken in SMPA, activities they were in such as The Hatchet or GWTV as well as catching up with and meeting professors. An enjoyable and entertaining evening was had by all!

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Get to Know Professor Al May
February 23rd, 2011

Professor Al May joined the SMPA faculty in 1997 after 23 years as a newspaper reporter and editor. He also served as SMPA's director of journalism from 1998 to 2005.

Professor May sat down to answer a few questions:

What's your go-to link: Romenesko

Who are three people you would invite to dinner, dead or alive?: Horace Greeley, Joseph Pulitzer, and H.L. Mencken

What are you reading right now?: "Blur: How to Know What's True in the Age of Information Overload," by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel

Who is your favorite musician?: Bruce Springsteen

What movie do you love that you would recommend to others?: Recently he liked "Up in the Air," but his all-time favorite movie is "All the President's Men."

What's your favorite place in the world?: Bend, Oregon

What do you like to do on the weekends?: He likes to play golf, but says he rarely gets time to play lately.

In another life what would you be?: "Tiger Woods without the personality disorder."

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How do mobile technologies influence African nations?
February 18th, 2011

As part of his sabbatical last school year, SMPA’s Professor Steven Livingston did extensive field work in several African countries to look at the emerging collective action and governance initiatives that are now possible with the new availability of mobile telephony in remote regions.  

In January, he published the fruits of his labors with the African Center for Strategic Studies: an extensive monograph called “Africa’s Emerging Infosystems: A Pathway to Security and Development” that has the development community abuzz. In the paper, he argues that security and development initiatives in Africa have been affected by remarkable changes in the information environment and he also explores how such technologies impact the lives of urban citizens and remote villagers alike.

Professor Livingston has been actively giving media interviews related to his research as well as talks at the U.S. Institute of Peace and his free and open to the public World Bank appearance upcoming on Tuesday, February 22.  Anyone interested in the event is welcome to RSVP.

 Upcoming for Professor Livingston is a post overseas at the Freie Universitat in Berlin. More on that soon!

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Get to Know Professor Christopher Sterling
February 17th, 2011
Professor Christopher Sterling has taught at GW since 1982. Has has written several books on the field of journalism, and he released his six-volume Christopher SterlingEncyclopedia of Journalism in September 2009.

Professor Sterling sat down to answer a few questions:

 

In another life what would you be?: "I'd do the same thing over again...I've been essentially comfortable and happy in a career that has lasted about 42 years."

 

What's your go-to link: Pandora, saying, "If I'm awake, it's on." Professor Livingston was actually the one who introduced him to it.

 

Who are four people you would invite to dinner, dead or alive?: Martin Luther King Jr. (met him in an office building about 3years before he was killed, "He's the only national holiday I've ever shaken hands with"); John D. Rockefeller Jr. (crucial in helping to establish many national parks, including Sterling's favorite- the Grand Tetons); William Francis Gibbs (shipbuilder including the S.S. United States); and Sir Martin Gilbert (author who GW gave an honorary degree and stayed at Sterling's home)

 

Who is your favorite musician?: Beethoven, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, and Aaron Copeland

 

What movie do you love that you would recommend to others?: "No one in SMPA should graduate without seeing Citizen Kane."

 
 What's your favorite place in the world?: Grand Tetons at Jackson Hole, Canadian Rockies

 
What do you like to do on the weekends?: He likes to spend time with his wife (they celebrated the 50th anniversary of their first date in May,) and he also visits his granddaughter who does not live too far away from him.

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Today, I saw the Secretary of State
February 15th, 2011

Today, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton came to GW's Media and Public Affairs building to deliver an important policy address regarding Internet freedom. Her visit was just announced yesterday, and tickets for the event were claimed by students and faculty within a couple of hours.  School of Media and Public Affairs Political Communication sophomore Maxwell Nunes was among the lucky few who responded quickly enough to attend, and this is his impression of the event:

Hillary Clinton

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at GW

When I walked into the School of Media and Public Affairs' building today it was just like any other day: People around me were talking about the recent revolution in Egypt, the role that the Internet played in brining down President Mubarak, and the larger issue of how the Internet will shape our world in the twenty-first century. The only difference was that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was visiting campus to discuss all of that and more.

At the Jack Morton Auditorium, Secretary Clinton spoke for close to 45 minutes about the great opportunities and challenges the Internet presents. Her speech was comprehensive, discussing everything from online teen bullying in America to censorship in Burma. Her statements on how the internet must be a place where journalist can practice freedom of expression and but also allow governments to keep their citizens safe was enlightening and relevant to what we discuss in both our journalism and our political communication classes at the School of Media and Public Affairs.

Today was another reminder about what it really means to go to school in “the heart of our nation’s capital.” Here at GW, it is not only that we have the opportunity to go out and hear from America’s leaders, but also America’s leaders come to us that make us so special. You just never know who will show up here next!

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Guest Post: The Future of Sudan
February 15th, 2011

SMPA's resident Senior Public Diplomacy fellow Mark Asquino wrote in to describe our upcoming program Thursday evening on the future of Sudan. He not only teaches our class on Public Diplomacy this semester, but also is a career diplomat with the State Department. His post prior to joining GW last fall was as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan.

On February 17, SMPA and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting will present a program on the January Referendum in Sudan.  "After the Vote: Challenges and Opportunities for a Two-State Sudan" features panelists Rebecca Hamilton, author of the just- released book "Fighting for Darfur," who has covered Sudan as a special correspondent for The Washington Post, Jon Temin, director of the Sudan Program at the U.S. Institute for Peace, and Cameron Hudson, director of operations in the Department of State’s Office of the Special Coordinator for Sudan.  I will moderate what I am sure will be a lively and substantive discussion. 

This program is a timely one.  On February 7, the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission announced the final results of the January 9-15 Referendum on Southern Sudan’s Self Determination.   It confirmed that close to 99% of Southerners casting ballots chose independence over continuing unity with the north.    The Referendum, which occurred on time and with  an overwhelming turn-out  by  Southerners voting both in Sudan and designated countries abroad, was held in accordance with provisions of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended one of Africa’s longest and most brutal civil wars.    Read the rest of this entry »

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Is there room for a global pact on Internet Freedom?
February 11th, 2011

SMPA's Professor Silvio Waisbord was interviewed by today's subscription-only "Washington Internet Daily" about the prospects for an international accord that guarantees the freedom of the Internet and prevents potential shutdowns like the one that recently occurred in Egypt. His comments are reprinted below:

Last month's Internet shutdown by the Egyptian government has given more momentum for greater international cooperation on Internet freedom, said participants in such work and those observing it. Projects like the Aspen Institute’s International Digital Economy Accord (IDEA), which promotes Internet freedom worldwide, are gaining members and expanding abroad.

<snip>

There should be some sort of international accord because it would signal the importance of these kinds of issues on a global level," said Silvio Waisbord, a professor at George Washington University. "But the devil is in the details." The biggest challenge is getting governments to comply with the idea of free access, said Waisbord. He questioned what kind of incentives would be necessary for ISPs and governments to actually follow an agreement that preserves all consumers access to the Internet. "Such an agreement would undermine both the power of the governments and ISPs, and I'm not sure how they would agree to that," said Waisbord.

Reprinted with permission of Warren Communications News -- (800) 771-5410 and www.warren-news.com

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Get to Know Professor Jarol Manheim
February 9th, 2011

Professor Jarol Manheim was the founding director of the School of Media and Public Affairs. He arrived at GW in 1987. His research has been published in several leading journals, and he has authoring many books on U.S. politics and political behavior. In December, his latest book was released, and it is called: Strategy in Information and Influence Campaigns. Read about it in the SMPA blog!

Professor Manheim sat down to answer a few questions:

In another life what would you be?: A center fielder

What's your go-to link: Yahoo News

Who are four people you would invite to dinner, dead or alive?: Sun Tsu, Machiavelli, Saul Alinsky, and Frank Luntz

Who is your favorite musician?: Antje Duvekot (She's a singer-songwriter in the folk tradition, and her song "Merry Go Round" appeared in a Super Bowl ad for Bank of America last year.)

What movie do you love that you would recommend to others?: "Major League"- a 1989 film starring Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen

What's your favorite place in the world?: "Any place within 100 miles of the four corners." (The four corners is the intersection where Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico meet.)

What do you like to do on the weekends?: "Lately? Count down the days until pitchers and catcher report to training camp."

Who's your favorite baseball team?: "Nationals...I'm one of the few people who still has season tickets."

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Video: Live From the White House event
February 8th, 2011

Last night, at GW's Lisner Auditorium, the School of Media and Public Affairs hosted its biggest event of the semester:

Live from the White House: Making and Shaping the News

From the most powerful podium in the world, these individuals influenced the news agenda while representing the President of the United States. School of Media and Public Affairs director and former CNN White House Correspondent and Washington Bureau Chief Frank Sesno moderated a fascinating discussion on an inside look at making and shaping news as a White House Press Secretary, the government's most visible political communicator. This Conversation Series event looked at the challenges, history, and politics of the role of the press secretary, and the changing media landscape that covers the White House. 

Speakers included:
Dee Dee Myers, Mike McCurry, Dana Perino, and Ari Fleischer. CNN's White House Correspondent, Ed Henry, delivered opening remarks as a current member of the White House press corps.

Watch the entire event here

Or, watch selected clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmhkEv1cbHo
Former White House press secretary, Ari Fleischer, Talks to Frank Sesno about the intrusion of cameras in what used to be forbidden space in the political sector during 'Live From The White House: Making and Shaping the News.'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olh1Dr6YR2Y
Ari Fleischer and Dana Perino, former press secretaries for the Bush administration, talk about some of the responsibilities of the Press Secretary at 'LiveFrom the White House: Making and Shaping the News,' on GWU campus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKTDtY5eKME
On Feb. 7, 2011 Mike McCurry expresses the difficulty of communicating a message to differing audiences from the perspective a former press secretary at George Washington University.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dwNUeSHBLQ
Dee Dee Myers, former press secretary for Bill Clinton, considers the role that technology has played in news consumption and its affect on the position of the Press Secretary at GWU on Feb. 7, 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENMizytHDyA
At 'Live From the White House: Making and Shaping the News,' Dee Dee Myers presents the difficulty of making ones point and staying 'on message' for the Press Secretary, during her run in the Clinton administration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vK7k5x3hNY
Dana Perino, former press secretary for President George W. Bush, discusses the defense that she presented to the President, while in his administration, of the rights for the press to have access in certain areas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ3ah5s4TeA 
Former White House Press Secretaries Mike McCurry and Ari Fleischer discuss President Obama's approach with Egypt, and the difficulty of addressing multiple audiences as a press secretary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmLc9T6redE
Mike McCurry, Dana Perino, and Dee Dee Myers discuss the White House Press Secretary as a different type of advisor to the president, as well as Robert Gibbs' own role as an advisor.

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