SMPA Students Seek to Study Kenyan Elections Via CGI U
March 30th, 2012

The George Washington University has the honor of hosting the Clinton Global Initiative University conference (CGI U) this weekend.  Each year, the CGI U conference brings together hundreds of college students who are interested in solving some of the world’s greatest challenges.  In order to attend the conference, students must develop and submit a “Commitment to Action,” a specific plan to address one such challenge.  This year, four SMPA students, who submitted a proposal to combat election fraud in Kenya, will be right in the middle of the CGI U experience.

Annika Boone (PCM ’15), Austin Donohue (PCM ‘14), Ian Fenger (PCM ‘14), and Sarah Ferris (JMC, ‘14) were enrolled in Professor Steven Livingston’s Introduction to Political Communication course last semester, where they learned about the impact of technology on revolutions and politics.  They were so intrigued by the topic, the four students decided to continue researching it through an independent study with Professor Livingston.  When they learned about CGI U, the students decided to draft a “Commitment to Action” based on their work.  Their plan?  To use the social network Ushahidi to monitor the Kenyan elections this summer.

Developed in the aftermath of Kenya's violently disputed 2007 presidential election, which were widely acknowledged to be rigged, Ushahidi is a social media platform designed to “crowdsource” information.  The network compiles eyewitness reports of violence or crisis sent via e-mail and text messaging, marking the locations of these incidents on a Google map.  Boone, Donohue, Fenger, and Ferris hope to integrate the geo-mapping aspect of Ushahidi into the networks of Facebook and Twitter in order to prevent election fraud and post safe routes to voting sites.

While CGI U does not provide students with funding directly, it does provide them with many networking opportunities.  Through CGI U, students are able to meet philanthropists and entrepreneurs who can help them find potential funders for their plans.  Thus, the four students will be attending the conference this weekend both to gain insight from expert lecturers and to publicize their project idea to these funders.

Boone, Donohue, Fenger, and Ferris hope to travel to Keyna for the summer in order to monitor the election process in person.

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Alumna Leads Edelman Study on Twitter Use in Congress
March 28th, 2012

By Marcia Newbert
PCM '10 (JMC Minor)

I began working at Edelman Public Relations shortly after graduation on the digital public affairs team. At Edelman, I manage a blogger engagement program, write Web content and develop digital strategies for a national energy trade association and other energy and international clients.

After authoring a blog post about politicians on Twitter, I proposed that Edelman study the Twitter behaviors of U.S. Members of Congress. I got the green light, pulled together a team and managed the project throughout the past six months. Released last week, “Capitol Tweets: Yeas and Nays of the Congressional Twitterverse” explores Twitter’s role in the democratization of political communication and identifies 10 Twitter best practices for U.S. Members of Congress.

The #CapTweets data set included 456 official Congressional Twitter handles and almost 60,000 tweets sent by Members of Congress. Some of my favorite findings are that 49 percent of Congress tweets across the virtual aisle to colleagues of another political party. Additionally, Democratic Members of Congress mention @YouTube and @MSNBC most often, while Republicans mention @WSJ and @FoxNews.

Capitol Tweets has gotten some great pickup in the past few days, including a Mashable post, a Roll Call piece and a live hit on CNN. It’s been incredibly humbling (and really, really fun) to see the study make its way through Twitter, Capitol Hill and the media.

I credit my SMPA experience – and my senior honors thesis in particular – for giving me the tools and confidence to undertake such a large analysis. The guidance I received from Professors Kimberly Gross, Jarol Manheim and Silvio Waisbord during my thesis was invaluable and has truly enabled me to think critically and tackle large projects piece by piece. Thanks, SMPA!

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Scholarly Article by Professor Phalen and Alumna Published
March 27th, 2012

The Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media has published an article co-authored by Professor Patricia Phalen and SMPA MA alumna Julia Osellame ('11) titled "Writing Hollywood: Rooms With a Point of View."  Based on interviews with various Hollywood television writers, the article analyzes the culture and politics of "the writers' room," including what makes this institution work and who survives its demanding environment. The article can be read in its entirety by visiting bit.ly/writinghollywood.

Professor Phalen recently shared the research contained in "Writing Hollywood" at the Gothenburg International Film Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden, where she participated in the annual TV Drama Vision seminar.

Watch the short Skype interview below featuring Professor Phalen describing her work while on sabbatical in California.

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Professor Nikki Usher Wins Dissertation Prize
March 27th, 2012

SMPA Professor Nikki Usher's 2011 dissertation, Making Business News in the Digital Age, has been selected winner of the International Communication Association's Gene Burd Urban Journalism Research Prize for the Best Dissertation in Journalism Studies.  Her dissertation, which she completed as a PhD candidate at USC's Annenberg School for Communication, focused on how business newsrooms are adapting to the changing digital environment, with the The New York Times serving as her primary research site.

Professor Usher currently is shaping the findings from her dissertation field study into the foundation for a forthcoming book.

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Professor Janet Steele Travels to Post-Revolution Egypt
March 26th, 2012

SMPA Professor Janet Steele recently traveled to Egypt to lecture on the principles of journalism in the wake of the country's revolution.

During her 16-day trip earlier this month, Professor Steele visited the cities of Alexandria and Cairo to conduct university workshops, lectures, and meetings with Egyptian students, journalists, and bloggers.  Her visit to Egypt originally had been scheduled for March of 2011, but was postponed due to the January 25th Egyptian revolution last year.

Professor Steele conducted a number of journalism workshops for Egyptian journalism students eager to apply the idealism of the revolution to the future of the press system in Egypt.  During these workshops, she shared with them newspaper articles about the Arab Spring by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Anthony Shadid to illustrate American coverage of their country, and, drawing on her expertise of journalism in Southeast Asian, debated with them which lessons could be applied to Egypt from the revolutions in Indonesia and Malaysia.

She also spoke with Egyptian bloggers about their disconnect with Egyptian mainstream media, the role of Twitter in online reporting, and the future of online journalism.

"To my mind, the greatest value of a trip such as this one is not just what I brought to the Egyptian students and journalists," said Professor Steele, "but also what I can take back to my own American students."

Professor Steele will be returning to Egypt this October to participate in an international conference on media education at the Modern Sciences and Arts University in Cairo.

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Emmy-Winning Alumna Honored with Inspiring Women Award
March 23rd, 2012

SMPA alumna Darley Newman films an episode of Equitrekking in Alaska. Photo credit: Chip Ward © 2008

SMPA alumna Darley Newman (Electronic Media, '01), writer, creator, producer, and host of the Emmy-winning PBS travel television series Equitrekking, has been honored with a 2012 Inspiring Women Award.

Created by Women in Philanthropy and Leadership, the Inspiring Women Award recognizes the achievements of women leaders of various disciplines who were born in South Carolina or who have adopted the Palmetto State as their home.  Newman, who grew up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, received the award for her outstanding entrepreneurship in the creation of the Equitrekking brand.

Combining her background in media from her time at the School of Media and Public Affairs and in broadcasting with her passion for horses and travel, Newman fashioned her dream career with the creation of the show Equitrekking.  With the help of her executive-producer husband, fellow GW alumnus Chip Ward, Newman travels around the globe to film episodes, exploring the world on horseback while introducing viewers to the history, culture and environment of each destination.  The upcoming season of Equitrekking, which premieres in late April, will feature episodes filmed during Newman's recent trip to Africa.  The series, which debuted nationally on PBS in 2007, now airs on television networks in over 65 countries worldwide.

When she is not filming episodes of her show, Newman, who recently was profiled in The Chicago Tribune, serves as editor of Equitrekking.com and manages Equitrekking Travel, an online travel company devoted to equestrian vacations.

Check out a clip from the upcoming season of Equitrekking below:


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Video: Watching 2012 with Joe Trippi and Arun Chaudhary
March 19th, 2012

On February 16, 2012, the School of Media and Public Affairs and the Center for Innovative Media presented "Watching 2012: How Video and New Media Are Changing American Politics." Moderated by SMPA Director Frank Senso, Joe Trippi and Arun Chaudhary engaged in a candid discussion regarding media's evolving role in our democracy and effective new media tactics used on the campaign trail and in the White House.  Trippi, legendary strategist and political consultant, was the architect of the 2004 Howard Dean presidential bid, the first campaign to maximize the mobile and fundraising power of the Internet. Chaudhary, a SMPA Fellow, was the YouTube guru for the 2008 Obama campaign and the first-ever official White House videographer.

A video of the event recently has been posted online:

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Professor Phalen Lectures in Sweden
March 8th, 2012

In February, SMPA Associate Professor Dr. Patricia Phalen traveled to Gothenburg, Sweden to address Scandinavian television writers and producers at the Gothenburg International Film Festival.  As a participant in Gothenburg's annual TV Drama Vision seminar, Professor Phalen presented her research on the Hollywood "writers' room,"  which is the subject of her forthcoming article, "Writing Hollywood: Rooms With a Point of View."  Her research generated a spirited discussion of the differences between European and American production.

Professor Phalen's research focuses on the socio-economics of mass media organizations, particularly the relationships between media production and audiences.

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Over $75,000 in Awards Available from SMPA!
March 5th, 2012

It's scholarship and awards time at SMPA! All SMPA students are encouraged to apply for as many of the multiple opportunities listed below as you feel are appropriate.  Many of these awards are worth thousands of dollars!

Here are the details:

Each application should include the following: a transcript (does not have to be official), a letter outlining your accomplishments, professional goals and an explanation as to how you meet the requirements of each award.  Where applicable, please include a portfolio of published journalistic work.  You must provide printouts or a DVD of relevant material -- no online links will be reviewed.

Financial need and diversity matter, but are not essential, for all awards - just explain in your letter why you feel you are the most qualified student to receive it.

Please read the description for each category to decide whether you are eligible:

Essary Journalism Prize: This is a prize honoring the best undergraduate journalism writing and all undergraduates are eligible.  A portfolio of work is obviously essential for this prize.

Larry King: Goes to a junior/rising senior with demonstrated need (students graduating in December 2012 are eligible.)

Sherman Page Allen, and Gridiron: Any male undergraduate student in journalism is eligible to apply.  A portfolio of work is essential for this prize. (This entry was updated to reflect that ALL undergraduate students in journalism is eligible, regardless of gender.)

Eaton Scholarship: This scholarship is available to students in either major, as well as graduate students.

Phillip L. Graham Fund Scholarship for Diversity: Preference will be given to students in either major from underrepresented groups, including, but not limited to, women and individuals of diverse backgrounds.

The Hoberman Prize: This prize recognizes original and meaningful journalism produced by a SMPA undergraduate from either major.  That work can take any form including print, video, audio, photography or a multi-media combination of those elements.  The work can be done through a class, an internship, an extracurricular activity or a job.  A preference will be shown for work that has been published, but class assignments are eligible. ‘Published’ will be interpreted broadly to include such platforms as newspapers, magazines, TV, radio websites, blogs and social media.  The prize will honor reporting that demonstrates depth, originality and a connection to community -- either local or global.

Dorothy and Will Roberts Prize: For graduating seniors, this prize recognizes “academic achievement, community service and professional promise.”

Added on 3/7 -- Freedman Family Annual Scholarship: Anyone who wants to become a professional journalist after graduation is eligible for this scholarship.

The deadline to apply for these scholarships is 5:00 p.m. Friday, March 23, 2012.  Send Professor Steve Roberts, head of the awards committee, your questions by email at sroberts@gwu.edu and drop off your printed application addressed to "Professor Steve Roberts" to the front desk in Room 400 during regular business hours.

Awards will be handed out at SMPA's annual Awards Night: this year it's April 16th. Join us in the lower lobby of the MPA building for refreshments starting at 6:30pm and the awards ceremony will follow! If you know you are attending, you may RSVP here.

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Apply for Paid Student Research Position
March 5th, 2012

The Center for Innovative Media at the School of Media and Public Affairs is seeking advanced researchers to help launch a high-profile election year initiative to counter misinformation and "spin" in the political process.  Applicants should have a strong interest in current affairs, a commitment to fact-based discourse and a desire to make a difference.  They should have experience in primary source research (e.g. census data, government reports, budgets). This interdisciplinary research team will explore important issues relevant to debt and deficit, education, health care, entitlements, foreign policy and more.

The project will start immediately and continue throughout the summer and fall.  All positions are paid and hours are flexible.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
-Find data, trends and facts from primary sources
-Participate in meetings that will guide research
-Help execute a digital outreach strategy, including social media, as needed

QUALIFICATIONS:
-Genuine expertise in research required; intern or professional experience preferred
-Strong interest in current affairs
-Creativity and proficiency with statistics
-Excellent writing skills
-Effective communication and teamwork skills

HOW TO APPLY:
If you would like to be a part of this dynamic team, send your resume and cover letter to Melissa Mapes at mmapes@gwu.edu by Friday, March 9th (new deadline: Friday, April 13). You must also include an example of your original research or a description of your research experience.

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