Face the Facts USA Launches, Covered by Politico and CNN
July 30th, 2012

The School of Media and Public Affairs is excited to announce the launch of a terrific new initiative called Face the Facts USA.

ftf logoThe project, which launches today at facethefactsusa.org, is a new nonpartisan, multi-platform content hub and civic engagement initiative dedicated to elevating the tone of national debate with provocative facts. The effort will roll out one revealing, myth-busting new fact each day until the election. The facts will be augmented by a deep archive of information, discussion and interactive tools.

Led by SMPA’s Center for Innovative Media, Face the Facts USA uses pop culture-themed digital videos, lively infographics, and extensive social media to help voters become more informed on today’s most important topics. The user, upon seeing the facts, can peruse “Details on Demand” – original source information, essays and commentary, citizen conversation, and related content.

There are two teams of GW students working on the project - one is producing videos to augment the daily facts, and the other is a team of six student and alumni researchers led by SMPA graduate student Melissa Mapes whose task it is to produce 10 facts in each of 10 different categories. The categories are: Debt & Deficits; Jobs & the Economy; Taxes; Education; Infrastructure; National Security; Energy & the Environment; Health Care; Social Security & Medicare; and Life in America.

The project is already attracting major media attention from the likes of CNN and Politico, whose Alexander Burns wrote about it this morning. The project's chief executive is Frank Sesno, SMPA's Director, and he appeared yesterday morning on CNN to describe the project. We'll link to more media coverage as it is available. Here is the press release. Meanwhile, go check out the website, follow them on Twitter, and fan them on Facebook!

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SMPA Launches Video Collection on iTunes U
July 23rd, 2012

Sure, you can stream our videos on YouTube, but what if you want to download them and take them to the beach? Now you can!

The School of Media and Public Affairs is proud to announce the launch of our new video collection on the George Washington University's iTunes U channel.  Showcasing footage from the best in academic lectures, special events, and discussions with notable figures in media and politics, SMPA's online iTunes U presence allows a global audience to tap into a wealth of educational materials that illustrates the School of Media and Public Affairs' prominence in the worlds of journalism, political communication and global communication.

iTunes U offers free on-demand access to educational content from hundreds of colleges, universities and educational organizations across the country. Visitors may access the George Washington University's iTunes U channel (and click "Public Content") from any Mac or PC with Apple's iTunes software installed. Read the rest of this entry »

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Announcing Two New Full-Time SMPA Professors
July 11th, 2012

The School of Media and Public Affairs is pleased to announce the hiring of two new full-time professors: David Karpf, an expert in online political advocacy, and William Youmans, a scholar of global communication.

David Karpf comes to the School of Media and Public Affairs from the faculty of Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information.  His research explores the effects of the internet on political advocacy, with a particular focus on the new political economy of internet-mediated organizations like MoveOn.org, Democracy for America, and the DailyKos blogging community.  He recently published his first book, The MoveOn Effect: The Unexpected Transformation of American Political Advocacy, which explores how modern advocacy groups have utilized the internet to pioneer new organizational tactics, fundraising tools, and membership engagement strategies.  Learn more about Karpf here.

William Youmans, who specializes in global communication, media law, and Middle Eastern politics and society, will bring an international perspective to the School of Media and Public Affairs.  He comes to SMPA from the University of Michigan, where he was a PhD candidate in Communications Studies.  Prior to his doctoral studies, Youmans earned a juris doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley. His most recent work explores Al Jazeera English and international broadcasting aimed at Arab populations.  Read more about Youmans here.

This upcoming fall semester, Karpf will instruct graduate students in Strategic Political Communication and Youmans will teach an undergraduate section of Media Law.  Join us in welcoming Professors Karpf and Youmans to the School of Media and Public Affairs! They officially begin with us on August 1.

For more information, please see today's press release.

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Professor David Karpf Joins the Faculty of SMPA
July 11th, 2012

For David Karpf, 2012 has been a banner year. Not only did he just publish his first book, The MoveOn Effect: The Unexpected Transformation of American Political Advocacy, but he also will be joining the faculty of the School of Media and Public Affairs this fall. Once here, Karpf will share his areas of expertise: the effect of the internet on political organization, the role of modern advocacy groups, and the influence of blogs on both.

For Karpf, moving to Washington, DC, from New Jersey, where he was a professor at the Rutgers University School of Communication, is a bit of a homecoming. He grew up in the DC Metro area, having attended Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland. It was there that he experienced his first taste of strategic political communication, getting involved in the Sierra Club. He continued his participation with the environmental organization in college and, in 1999, he was elected the National Director of the Sierra Student Coalition.

It also was during his undergraduate years at Oberlin College that Karpf began to wonder what conditions were required for a social or political movement to succeed. After college, he decided to enroll in a graduate program at the University of Pennsylvania, supplementing his knowledge of the advocacy world from firsthand experience with academic research, to answer this question. He also ran for a position on the Sierra Club Board of Directors and was elected to two three-year terms, which coincided with the entirety of his graduate and doctoral studies. “I definitely kept busy. I wouldn’t recommend it to my graduate students,” laughs Karpf. Read the rest of this entry »

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SMPA Welcomes Professor William Youmans
July 11th, 2012

William Youmans' first interaction with the School of Media and Public Affairs occurred in 2008 when he came to the school as a visiting scholar and enrolled in Professor Silvio Waisbord’s course in comparative media systems.  Little did he know he would return to SMPA almost five years later as a professor himself.

Youmans, who specializes in global communication, media law, and Middle Eastern politics and society, will bring an international perspective to students at the School of Media and Public Affairs when he joins the faculty as an assistant professor this fall.  He comes to the school from the University of Michigan, where he was a Ph.D. candidate in Communications Studies—and where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science.

Prior to his doctoral studies, Youman earned a JD from the University of California, Berkeley.  While at Berkeley, not only did Youmans begin his teaching career as a graduate student instructor, but also he focused on the sociology of the development of laws in various countries, which piqued his interest in how ideas are exchanged in the public sphere and the role of media on legal developments.

“I began to notice that changes in the legal world followed a change of dialogue in the public sphere,” he explains. Read the rest of this entry »

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Intern Diary: Emily Sporn at Noblis, Inc.
July 9th, 2012

By Emily Sporn
JMC '14

Rising junior Emily Sporn works as a corporate communications intern at Noblis, Inc.

I might not be your typical SMPA student (if there is such a thing!) As a freshman at GW, I actually began my collegiate career as a pre-med student. As time progressed, however, I realized that I was more interested in learning about the field of science and healthcare, rather than actually being on the front lines in a hospital setting, and switched my major to Journalism and Mass Communication.

Fast forward to my internship this summer at Noblis, Inc., a non-profit science, technology and strategy organization in Falls Church, Virginia, that helps clients solve complex scientific systems, process, and infrastructure problems in ways that benefit the public. At Noblis, I have enjoyed the experience of not only being the sole corporate communications intern at the company, but also being challenged every day to push myself past my own limits.

I was looking specifically for an internship experience in the field of health communications. With Noblis’ five mission areas of health innovations, transportation systems, enterprise services, national security and intelligence, and sustainability, I have gained experience writing not only about health, but other disciplines as well. While at Noblis, I have been able to shoot videos, write press releases, tweet breaking news, and interview employees that range from engineers to registered nurses. In the short time that I have been at Noblis, I have already developed a portfolio of work that is entirely my own. This portfolio will become invaluable when I graduate from SMPA in just two short years and enter the job market.

It can be hard to find a good internship, especially in Washington, DC, where college students flock from around the country for internships every summer. My tip is to start searching early, and don’t settle. It took me five months of internship hunting and countless interviews until I was able to find just where I wanted to be. Be patient, network with everyone you meet, and you too will find what you’re looking for.

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SMPA Faculty Recognized for Productions, Teaching
July 2nd, 2012

Although many of our students have departed from campus for summer break, SMPA never takes a vacation from collecting accolades. Recently, the Global Media Institute won top prize at the New York Festivals’ 30th Annual Radio Awards and Professor Nina Seavey was named one of the top fifty journalism and communications professors in the country!

Professor Nina Seavey was named a top professor of journalism.

Professor Seavey, director of The Documentary Center, received her latest honor from journalismdegree.org, a career website.  The list of professors, many of whom are internationally recognized experts in the field, were honored for their ability to  “inspire future reporters and communicators to explore the field of journalism.” Professor Seavey founded the Center in 1990 and has produced many highly acclaimed documentaries on a variety of subjects. Her work has won many awards including an Emmy, the Erik Barnouw Prize for Best Historical Film of the Year, and the Golden Hugo. Seavey also served as the founding director and executive producer of SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival, the largest documentary festival in the US.

Courtesy of the New York Festivals

Also recently, SMPA's Global Media Institute was honored with a Grand Jury Trophy for Best Talk/Interview Special for its production of The Kalb Report: Anchoring 9/11.  In this special edition of The Kalb Report, moderator and legendary journalist Marvin Kalb discussed the decade following September 11th with a panel of journalists who covered that tragic day: Charles Gibson (ABC), Dan Rather (CBS), Brit Hume (FOX), and SMPA Director Frank Sesno, who, in 2001, was serving as CNN’s Washington bureau chief. The program, which airs nationally on both Sirius XM Satellite Radio and public television stations, beat out hundreds of broadcasts submitted from around the world to win top honors.

Professor Michael Freedman, executive producer of The Kalb Report, attended the awards ceremony with Kalb to accept the prize—a trophy resembling an art deco radio microphone—on behalf of the Global Media Institute.

“We are deeply touched to be recognized by The New York Festivals which celebrates the most enduring and endearing medium of all – radio,” said Freedman.  “To see our students light up when they first feel the magic of the medium is so very special and to have their efforts rewarded with an honor of this magnitude can only deepen their commitment to raise the bar for the next generation.”

This Just In!, another program produced by the Global Media Institute, received a Gold World Medal at the ceremony. The winning entry included a master class conducted last summer by Professor Freedman and Richard C. Hottelet, the remaining living "Murrow Boy."

The Kalb Report: Anchoring 9/11 can be watched below.

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