INFO ON MPA BUILDING CLOSURES 12/1
November 30th, 2011

Below is the official announcement regarding the MPA building closures tomorrow. The summary is that all classes except those listed at bottom are operating normally but that building access will be restricted. All students arriving for 9:35am classes are advised to BE EARLY in order to be let into the building. Please call the front desk with any problems related to SMPA classes at 202-994-6227.

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President Barack Obama along with a group of high profile panelists will speak at a ONE Campaign event to be held at GW’s Jack Morton Auditorium on December 1, 2011, at 10 a.m. Access to this event is by invitation only. The event will be broadcast on GWTV-11 at the Marvin Center –Columbian Square on the first floor and broadcast live on YouTube at www.youtube.com/theonecampaign.

From approximately 9:30 a.m. until 10:45 a.m., 21st Street, between Eye and H Streets, NW, as well as H Street from 21st to 20th Streets, NW, will be closed to vehicular traffic. Street parking will be prohibited.

Pedestrians are restricted from accessing portions of the 2100 block of H Street from the CVS entrance to 20th Street between 9:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

The Media and Public Affairs (MPA) parking garage will be closed between 6 a.m. until 6:15 a.m. and again between 9:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Those parking at the garage between 6:15 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. will be required to go through a security checkpoint at the garage’s entrance.

The MPA building will have restricted access between 6 a.m. until 8 a.m. and again between 9:30 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. [That means no entrance and no exit into or out of the MPA building will be allowed.] With the exception of classes listed below, classes beginning at 9:35 a.m. [and all classes that begin after 11:00 a.m.] will resume as usual in the MPA building and students are allowed entrance up until 9:35 a.m. Please see below for a list of classes that are being moved from MPA to other locations.

Classes Normally Located in MPA 208:
9:35 a.m.- 10:50 a.m., University Writing, New location: 1957 E 211
11:10 a.m.- 12: 25 p.m., Beginning Arabic I, New location: GELM 608

Classes Normally Located in MPA B01:
8:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m., Intro to Newswriting and Reporting, New location: Duques 250
9:35 a.m.- 10:50 am., Intro to Newswriting and Reporting, New location: OM 312
11:10 a.m.- 12:25 p.m., Intro to Newswriting and Reporting, New location: COR 111

Classes Normally Located in MPA B07:
9:35 a.m.- 10:50 a.m., Environmental Geology, New location: Marvin Center Grand Ballroom
11:10 a.m.- 12:25pm., Media in a Free Society, New location: 1957 E 113

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Our Event Hashtag Trends on Twitter!
November 29th, 2011

Yesterday evening during our Conversation Series event with NBC Chief White House Correspondent and Political Director Chuck Todd, the Twitter hashtag #chucktoddsmpa became so popular that it trended on Twitter in Washington D.C.  Thank you to all who Tweeted!

Want to follow SMPA on Twitter?  You can find us @SMPAGWU.

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Planet Forward Hiring Freelance Producer
November 28th, 2011

Producer – Planet Forward

Planet Forward seeks an experienced, creative and enthusiastic free-lance producer to help curate hundreds of great ideas, and bring them to our audience online and on TV. Your job will be to take the user-contributed ideas, combine it with the expertise of our superior expert community and create compelling, journalistically sound content that will drive engagement and help find innovative solutions in the fields of climate, energy and sustainability.  Applicant should be a proven team player who can work in an entrepreneurial environment.

Desired Qualifications

5-10 years’ experience shooting/editing/producing short-form videos for broadcast or web distribution. Proven track record in creative story-telling and production techniques.  Editorial background and enthusiasm for climate, energy and sustainability issues.

Proven production experience with HD cameras, Final Cut Pro.

Experience working with high-profile talent and guests.

Experience using social media tools to engage audience around produced videos.

Experience working in a news environment, or at least an environment with regular deadline pressure.   Ability to work in such an environment with limited supervision.

Experience distributing videos through various platforms (Facebook, Twitter, iTunes, iReport, etc)

Bachelor’s degree from accredited university.

Job Description

Produce short, engaging videos (weekly or bi-weekly) based on user-contributed content for PlanetForward.org, a social media project based at the Center for Innovative Media at The George Washington University.  The videos should be based on user ideas but include any components (editorial or production) to ‘commit an act of journalism.’

Produce, or assist in producing, monthly pieces for contribution to nationally distributed business news program, featuring best ideas from PlanetForward.org.

Assist in producing annual, one-hour special, featuring best ideas from PlanetForward.org, with commentary from top experts and audience voting to select “Planet Forward Innovator.”

Cover events in Washington DC, featuring newsmakers and policy leaders, to include their ideas on PlanetForward.org

Manage Interactive “Ask An Expert” feature on PlanetForward.org.

Hours are generally standard working hours, but occasionally require a flexible schedule to meet project deadlines or accommodate the schedules of key stakeholders or subjects.

This person will report to the Executive Producer, Fuzz Hogan. To apply, send your resume, cover letter and links to published videos to fuzz@planetforward.org by December 15, 2011.

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SMPA Sophomore Questions Senator on C-SPAN
November 28th, 2011

By Spencer Fogel
PCM '14

On the morning of November 15, I journeyed to the Newseum for breakfast with Senator Marco Rubio--well, sort of.  I attended an event hosted by POLITICO called "POLITICO Playbook Breakfast," an event I attended after seeing an advertisement for it on Politico.com.  Audience members arrived at 8:00 A.M. for breakfast and to watch Politico’s chief White House correspondent Mike Allen interview a politician about the issues of the day.

Shortly after I entered the studio with my chocolate Danish and glass of orange juice, Mike Allen introduced the event’s special guest--Senator Rubio.  Senator Rubio (R-FL) is the second youngest Senator in office and he is widely acknowledged by many political commentators as an up-and-comer in the Republican Party.

Senator Rubio spoke about a variety of issues in the interview.  The topics of discussion ranged from the highly controversial “supercommittee” to discussion about whether diplomatic relations with Cuba should be reevaluated.  He even spoke about his enjoyment of rap music, which elicited many laughs from the audience.

When Mike Allen turned to the audience and asked if anybody was interested in asking Senator Rubio a question, I enthusiastically raised my hand.  When I was called on, I introduced myself as a sophomore enrolled at the School of Media and Public Affairs.  I keep up to date with the latest political developments and I identify myself as a “political wonk,” so when I was called on by Mike Allen to ask Senator Rubio a question, I asked about the 2012 Florida senate election.  Senator Bill Nelson will be seeking reelection in what is expected to be a close race, which led me to ask Senator Rubio if he intended to endorse a Republican Party candidate in the primary for Senator Nelson’s seat.

Senator Rubio responded stating, “I’m not going to get involved in the primary.  Ultimately, my hope is to help the Republican nominee.”  He also emphasized the importance of the senate seat that will be up for grabs when he stated, “I think we could do a lot more if we were in the majority.”

I left the Newseum with a full belly and knowing more about the Florida Senator than I had previously.  By the time I arrived back at Foggy Bottom, I walked over to the SMPA for my 9:35 A.M. Political Debate class.  All in a day’s work.

Watch video of Spencer's question below, which was shown nationally on C-SPAN.

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Professor Seavey Completes Radio Tour to Promote 4th & Goal
November 23rd, 2011

Professor Nina Seavey, Director of our Documentary Center, recently completed a radio tour to promote her most recent documentary, 4th & Goal.  4th & Goal, which won the Italian National Olympic Committee Cup award at the prestigious Milano International FICTS Fest earlier this month, has been met with much critical acclaim.  The film also was released nationally on DVD and on various video-on-demand services in September.

Click here to listen to a number of her interviews from around the country.

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VIDEO: GW Commercial Narrated by SMPA Director Sesno
November 23rd, 2011

The next time you tune in to watch a GW basketball game on television, you might just hear the baritone voice of SMPA Director Frank Sesno during a commercial break. Director Sesno recently lent his vocal talents to a new TV commercial for The George Washington University to help promote the university during televised Colonials games. As a former journalist who began his career in radio before becoming White House correspondent, anchor, and Washington Bureau Chief for CNN, Director Sesno certainly is no stranger to standing behind a microphone!

The commercial will begin airing on November 30, but we have a sneak peak here via the university's official YouTube channel. Watch the spot below and let us know what you think! The video was produced by GW's External Relations division.

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SMPA/PEJ Study on Media Use of Twitter Released
November 14th, 2011

A collaboration between the School of Media and Public Affairs and the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism has produced a new study, released today, that examines how news institutions and reporters use Twitter in their daily news outreach.

Students from SMPA's Spring 2011 Senior Seminars taught by Professors Kim Gross and Robert Entman spent a semester coding the data of thousands of tweets, providing content analysis and applying the theories learned in the classroom to real-world research.

“This study gave students the opportunity to work on a significant research project about an evolving medium,” says Professor Gross.  “As most of our understanding of Twitter is based on anecdotal evidence, collecting and analyzing empirical data is very valuable to our understanding of it.”

Students also received guidance from SMPA alumnus Jesse Holcomb (M.A. ’09), now a Research Associate for the Project for Excellence in Journalism, who served as a link between SMPA and the Pew Research Center. SMPA Master's students, Rachel Weisel and Lauren Martens, were also involved in the project, with Weisel serving as one of the lead researchers.

The study, which analyzed more than 3,600 tweets from 13 major news organizations over the course of one week, yielded interesting findings.  For example, the study showed that news organizations rarely used Twitter as a reporting tool or to recommend information that originated elsewhere.  Just 2% of the tweets analyzed sought views or first-hand accounts from readers, and only 1% of tweets studied were “retweets” from a Twitter feed outside the organization.

“Tweets from news organizations mainly push out news content already published online on site they own,” says Professor Gross.  “The same is true of reporters.  As a result, these reporters are not building a personal brand, as they rarely interact with other Twitter users beyond reposting articles.”

Professor Gross attributes this to news organizations cautiously navigating through the interactive potential of Twitter due to concerns about adhering to journalistic rules.

“The codes of ethics for journalism have to be adapted for a new medium,” says Professor Gross.  “Until that happens, news organizations will continue to use Twitter mostly as a promotional tool or another platform to disseminate news content.”

To read the press release, click here.

To read the complete study, click here.

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SMPA Hosts Photojournalists for Panel Discussion
November 11th, 2011

This week, seven distinguished photographers visited the Jack Morton Auditorium to share insights about the world of modern crisis photojournalism.

The School of Media and Public Affairs, in conjunction with The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Photography, presented Beyond Witness: New Approaches to Crisis Photography, a panel discussion with photojournalists Dominic Bracco II, Sean Gallagher, Andre Lambertson, Richard Mosse, David Rochkind, Stephanie Sinclair and James Whitlow Delano.  The panelists described new challenges facing photojournalists, and how to redefine the idea of crisis photography in the face of ongoing conflicts.

Following the panel, the GW Program Board hosted an outdoor reception for attendees while projections of photographs by Richard Mosse appeared on the south wall of the Lisner Auditorium (see at right, photo by Aaron DeNu).

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Professor Usher Presents Research at Columbia University
November 4th, 2011

This week, SMPA Assistant Professor Nikki Usher travelled to Columbia University’s Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy Communications Colloquium, where she presented her research regarding The New York Times’ coverage of the financial crisis.

Usher spent five months with The New York Times business desk conducting an in-depth field study in the wake of the recession.  Her research yielded a number of fascinating conclusions about the role of watchdog journalism in the midst of the current financial crisis.

Usher contends the harsh criticism the press garnered for its handling of the lead-up to the financial crisis was undeserved and that it is obvious that newsrooms, like all people, have an aversion to chaos and want what is best for the nation and society.  However, she makes the case that newsrooms also hold two conflicting values: on the one hand, the desire for a successful market economy, and, on the other, the desire that corporations not profit at the expense of the people.

Usher believes these opposing values can explain the coverage of the recent Occupy Wall Street movement.

“Business reporters have a more sophisticated understanding of Occupy Wall Street,” said Usher.  “My sense is, because these reporters both empathize with the sense of anger of the protestors and understand that there is good reason why markets work the way that they do, the coverage becomes very nuanced.”

This nuanced reporting, according to Usher, frustrates readers, who then believe reporters are defending Wall Street over Main Street.

Moreover, Usher argues that watchdog journalism actually takes two forms.  While newspapers tended to simply provide necessary information to the public on the financial crisis, the public has judged these papers using a second definition of watchdog journalism, holding them accountable for actions produced as a result of the information published.

Usher currently is using the results of her field study as a foundation for a forthcoming book.

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Professor Seavey Wins Prestigious Award in Milan, Italy
November 3rd, 2011

Professor Nina Seavey, Director of SMPA's Documentary Center, just won the Italian National Olympic Committee Cup award for her most recent documentary 4th & Goal.  The award is the highest honor from the Milano International FICTS Fest in Milan, Italy, which is considered the most prestigious festival of sports cinema in the world.

The documentary, which has received much critical acclaim, was also recently released nationally on DVD and on various video-on-demand services.

Congratulations, Professor Seavey!

To learn more about 4th & Goal and its recent national release, visit the official film website.

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