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.
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.
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.
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.
SMPA Faculty and staff use the flash studio for live and recorded professional programming.
Longtime political reporter and broadcaster Gwen Ifill of The Newshour with Jim Lehrer addresses students.
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.
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On Sunday, Professor Steven Roberts discussed last week's vice presidential debate with CNN's Howard Kurtz and journalists Keli Goff and David Frum on "Reliable Sources."
The show's guests also gave their take on the media frenzy over PBS and Big Bird after the first presidential debate.
Director Frank Sesno and professors Mike Shanahan and Al May were interviewed for several news stories on this week's presidential debate and what to look forward to until Election Day.
WUSA reported Sesno's surprise with President Barack Obama's performance during Wednesday night's debate. "I cannot explain what happened to Barack Obama. He was AWOL, he was distracted, detached, defensive," he said.
Professors Shanahan and May contributed to the discussion on how debates might affect a presidential election, speaking with NPR and ABC News. While Shanahan said a debate is more about making impressions on the American public than about facts and arguments, May said, "There have been some elections that turned on a debate."
The next debate will take place October 16 at 9 p.m. eastern time. Stay tuned.
The School of Media and Public Affairs is excited to announce the launch of a terrific new initiative called Face the Facts USA.
The 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!
In case you missed it:
With Facebook's IPO gaining massive attention last Friday came this Saturday New York Times feature of their Washington D.C. efforts. Guess who is mentioned as the young Capitol Hill staffer who started it all? Our very own alumnus Adam Conner, Political Communication major class of 2006! Read the article:
P.J. Crowley, former Assistant Secretary of State and current Fellow at the School of Media and Public Affairs, appeared on the MSNBC show NOW with Alex Wagner today to discuss diplomatic relations between China and the United States. Crowley specifically addressed the political implications of the blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng currently asking the United States for asylum.
Crowley was nominated by President Obama as the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs in 2009 and confirmed by the United States Senate. He served as the Assistant Secretary and Spokesman at the Department of State until March 2011.
Nina Seavey, Director of The Documentary Center at the School of Media and Public Affairs, recently was interviewed for "The Real Stuff," a podcast hosted by producer, director and writer Darren Coyle. In the podcast, Seavey discusses the current state of the documentary film industry, her previous projects, and teaching students the art of documentary filmmaking.
In a CBS "This Morning" story today about the influence of audience reaction on political events, Professor Mike Shanahan said it's really the audience reaction at home that is most important. Watch his take at 1:08
There's no rest for SMPA professors during Winter Break when there's an election heating up!
Dr. Silvio Waisbord explained the Iowa caucus process on CNN's Spanish network yesterday.
Professor Silvio Waisbord appeared internationally yesterday on CNN en Espanol to explain the "caucus" process (there's no simple word in Spanish to define it), and the relevance of Iowa in the primary process.
He wrote in to summarize the interview (conducted in Spanish): "I also explained the difference between primary elections in the US and in Latin America, and was asked which one I think is better. I said that there's no democracy in Latin America with a primary process similar to the US, and discussed the problems of long primaries and the limitations of news coverage (partially related to the fact that it's a months-long process)."
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.
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.
