7/28/2015
Happy New Year and updates from Geoffrey Cowan and the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
Happy New Year! It is a pleasure to offer greetings and an update from USC Annenberg's Center on Communication Leadership & Policy. Perhaps more than ever before, global conflicts are being waged through media and communication technology, highlighting the importance of the issues that our researchers and fellows continue to tackle. This newsletter describes some of their work and provides a quick preview of some of the major programs that we have planned for the year ahead. We are also delighted to share the news that senior fellow Cinny Kennard, who has led research efforts for our Women & Communication Leadership initiatives, has been named Managing Director of the Annenberg Foundation. In 2014, we organized a series of impactful programs, including the Get Mobile Forum, in partnership with the California Endowment, where technology leaders and community organizers explored ways in which local communities can make better use of mobile technologies; Open Data LA workshops that connected neighborhood leaders with city officials; Covering Global Conflict, the first of a series of sessions where CCLP and the Pacific Council invite international journalists to discuss the ways in which reporters from different countries are covering conflicts such as Ferguson and the war in Ukraine; the Documentary Filmmakers Roundtable, organized with the American Film Institute, which provided a unique forum for top female directors at the annual AFIDOCS festival in Washington, D.C.; and breakthrough meetings organized with the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands where policymakers, researchers and industry leaders explored new ways to harness the power of mobile phones for public service, including emergency response. In coming months, we will publish a new report on the role of technology in labor trafficking; continue our Open Data LA project to promote public access to government data; and begin new collaborations with our senior fellows. On a personal note, I am looking forward to the publication by Norton in January 2016, of my new book on Theodore Roosevelt and the birth of the presidential primary. Together with my colleagues, many thanks for your support. We are looking forward to seeing you soon. Best,
Center on Communication Leadership & Policy A program of the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism
January 20, 2015 CCLP investigates technology and trafficking in the Philippines New report: mobile technology tools for community engagement Open Data LA connects community leaders with city officials International journalists discuss global conflicts Cowan's new book on presidential primaries
State of the Union Watch Party and Discussion February 2, 2015 USC Communication Leadership Washington D.C. Forum
Baum elected president of community colleges board https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1119684853848&format=html&printFrame=true
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7/28/2015
Happy New Year and updates from Geoffrey Cowan and the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
Powell honored at Africa's largest journalism conference
Zacchino edits investigation on armed security guards Senior fellow Laurie Becklund speaks at Stanford
CNN's Yellin named Senior Fellow
CCLP research team investigates technology and labor trafficking in the Philippines CCLP will publish a groundbreaking study on the role of technology in labor trafficking and exploitation, supported by a grant from Humanity United. Research director Mark Latonero led a team to the Philippines in December to conduct field research on technology and labor trafficking. During the trip, a major Typhoon hit the island nation and the team was able to conduct realtime research on increased vulnerability in times of crisis and disaster.
January 28, 2014 Advisory board member Ina Coleman (right) introduces Pulitzer Prizewinning Los Angeles Times staff photographer Barbara Davidson (left) at Through Her Lens: Women in Photojournalism, CCLP's forum hosted with the USC Anneberg School of Journalism Women and Photojournalism forum.
Left to right: research director Mark Latonero; Susan Ople, former undersecretary at the Philippines Department of Labor and Employment; Meredith Dank, senior research associate at The Urban institue; and Grace Arbol, attorney at The Blas F. Ople Policy Center
Cinny Kennard Senior Fellow
"The huge popularity of social media, mobile phones and the internet in Philippines provides an important case study to understand how technology can facilitate and disrupt labor trafficking and exploitation in migration," said Dr. Latonero. The 2015 report will provide governments, NGOs and the research community with best practices and recommendations for developing datadriven solutions to combat labor trafficking. https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1119684853848&format=html&printFrame=true
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7/28/2015
Happy New Year and updates from Geoffrey Cowan and the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
Learn more about the Technology & Trafficking project
Cinny Kennard has been appointed Managing Director of the Annenberg Foundation. She comes to Annenberg from Smithsonian Media, where she is senior vice president of programming. Cinny is an awardwinning broadcast journalist and media executive who led NPR West from 2003 to 2009. She has played a leadership role in a variety of Annenberg initiatives, including the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands, the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the Walter Cronkite awards. "In Cinny, we find ourselves in the fortunate position to add to the depth of our management ranks and fortify what is already a wonderful leadership team," said Foundation President Wallis Annenberg and Executive Director Leonard Aube in a statement. "Her professional experience includes almost two decades of strong leadership and executive management in the nonprofit sector, ranging from project startups to established national brands."
New report: Mobile technology tools for community engagement At the 2014 Get Mobile Forum, CCLP and The California Endowment invited technology leaders and local community organizers to learn from each other, exploring how organizations can use mobile technology in their efforts to engage and empower the communities of Los Angeles. Our new report outlines the highlights and best practices identified at the Get Mobile Forum, including five guiding principles for implementing mobile technology in community outreach efforts. One key principle is to focus on impact, not reach. As Civis Analytics' Engagement Manager Christine Albert said, "Organizations and funders often focus on numbers because it's the easiest metric," but it's more effective to establish a close relationship with a small group of stakeholders than to broadcast to a larger but less relevant audience. Read more and download the full report on the CCLP website
Read more about Cinny Kennard
International journalists discuss global conflicts, propaganda and online media at CCLP forum Journalists from Germany and Russia joined USC Annenberg students, faculty and special guests to share first hand accounts of the physical dangers and moral dilemmas of reporting on international conflicts like the war in Ukraine at Covering Global Conflict, the first in a series organized by CCLP, the USC Annenberg School of Journalism and the Pacific Council on International Policy.
CCLP cell phone initiative discussed at Africa conference by Adam Clayton Powell III
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7/28/2015
Happy New Year and updates from Geoffrey Cowan and the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
GRAHAMSTOWN, South Africa A CCLP initiative to define minimum capabilities of cell phone handsets for health care, public safety and other public services was a focus of discussion at a forum here at Rhodes University on Sunday.
"Journalists have become a targetnot only one of several targets in the warzone, but almost one of their favorite targets," said Julian Reichelt, editorinchief of the popular German news site BILD.de and a war reporter who has covered Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Lebanon. CCLP visiting fellow Florian von Heintze, deputy editorin chief of BILD, Europe's bestselling newspaper, cohosted the event and shared his experiences as an international journalist. "Whether it is [...] a local farmer or President Obama," said von Heintze, "the best access to a story, we found, is personal." More than 100 students, journalists and Pacific Council members attended the forum, which was among the first special events held in USC's new Wallis Annenberg Hall. The conversation was moderated by CCLP director Geoffrey Cowan and introduced by Willow Bay, director of USC Annenberg's School of Journalism. "There are different narratives in almost every conflict," said Michael Parks, former USC Annenberg Journalism School director and Pulitzer Prizewinning editor. "Whose narrative is right? Is it the responsibility of the journalist to decide or to explain?" Read more on the CCLP blog
"What a good question!" said Daudi Khamadi Were, Innovation Coordinator at Making All Voices Count, part of Kenya's global Ushahidi group. Were said that cell phone service for illiterate users should be a key issue. "Mobiles need to be voice enabled for those who cannot type as fast," agreed Bomasanto Ndulovu, Strategic Executive Director for South Africa's capital city, Tshwane (still known as Pretoria in much of the world).
Read more on the CCLP blog
ADVISORY BOARD Mickey Kantor CoChair Norman Pearlstine CoChair Ina Coleman
Open Data LA connects community leaders with city officials CCLP's Open Data LA team partnered with the City of Pasadena to host a workshop on October 25 for city officials, application developers, thought leaders and interested citizens to form new connections and discuss the future of open government data.
David Fisher Clothilde Hewlett John Huey Wendy Luers Gary Pruitt Alden Stoner Amb. Robert H. Tuttle
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7/28/2015
Happy New Year and updates from Geoffrey Cowan and the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
Ernest James Wilson III
SENIOR FELLOWS Adam Clayton Powell III Cinny Kennard Dan Glickman Dan Schnur David Westphal Derek Shearer Geneva Overholser Throughout the conversations, participants noted that one of the biggest barriers to open data initiatives is the lack of collaboration between different cities, and even between departments within cities. "There are a lot of assumptions about what data is actually available," said one participant. "I thought everybody knows where [the data] is, but that's not true."
Jeremy Curtin Kirk Johnson Kit Rachlis Laurie Becklund Morley Winograd Narda Zacchino Neal Baer Orville Schell Peter Hirshberg Richard Reeves Jessica Yellin
CENTER STAFF Left to right: Rick Cole, LA Deputy Mayor for Budget & Innovation; Michael Beck, Pasadena City Manager; Dana Chinn, CCLP faculty fellow; and Phillip Leclair, Pasadena Chief Information Officer
The Open Data LA team is conducting research on the current state of open data throughout L.A. County, using surveys and indepth interviews to identify the key challenges that hinder open data initiatives in L.A. County's 88 incorporated cities. Read more on the CCLP blog
Adam Clayton Powell III honored at Africa's largest journalism conference
Geoffrey Cowan Director, University Professor & Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership Geoffrey Baum Managing Director Susan Crookston Goelz Office Manager Ev Boyle Global Fellow
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7/28/2015
Happy New Year and updates from Geoffrey Cowan and the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
Liz Krane Web & IT Coordinator
Senior fellow Adam Clayton Powell III, who leads CCLP's new initiative on mobile phones as a platform for public service, was named a Highway Africa Fellow at the 2014 Highway Africa Conference at Rhodes University's School of Journalism and Media Studies in Grahamstown, South Africa.
Justin Chapman Project Fellow
USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
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The 2014 Highway Africa Fellows, left to right: Joe Alfers, Mathatha Tsedu, Cheriff Moumina Sy, CCLP senior fellow Adam Clayton Powell III, Elizabeth Barratt, Jovial Rantao, and Amina Frense
In addition to being the only American to receive the award, Powell also holds the record for attendance; he has presented at 17 of the 18 annual Highway Africa Conference meetings, attending more conferences than even the conference organizers themselves. "Back in 1997, I helped start the first Highway Africa conference with its founder Guy Berger, who edited one of the four antiapartheid newspapers in South Africa," said Powell. "We had 45 delegates. Now hundreds come!" Next year, Powell will help the Highway Africa Conference reach a global audience by testing out a small pilot program allowing audiences to participate through live video calls from other campuses around the world, including the U.S., U.K., India, Singapore and Korea. Read more on the CCLP blog
Cowan's new book on presidential primaries set for publication https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1119684853848&format=html&printFrame=true
6/12
7/28/2015
Happy New Year and updates from Geoffrey Cowan and the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
Geoffrey Cowan's new book, Let the People Rule: Theodore Roosevelt and the Birth of the Presidential Primary, will be published by W.W. Norton & Company in January 2016, before the New Hampshire primary. It was inspired by Professor Cowan's own experience in helping to expand the role of presidential primaries 56 years later, during the convulsive Democratic Convention of 1968.
Because of the importance of those reforms, famed ABC television newsman Howard K. Smith delivered a commentary called "Mr. Cowan" as part of the ABC Network Evening News on the opening night of the 1972 Democratic Convention in Miami Beach. From his perch in the ABC skybox above the Convention Floor he ended his commentary with these words: "Around the hall tonight you will see hanging huge pictures of the men who made the Democratic Party what it is. But one is oddly missing. That of young Geoffrey Cowan, the man who did more to change Democratic Conventions than anyone since Andrew Jackson first started them." "The birth of the presidential primary in 1912," Cowan says, "is a fascinating and in some ways surprising story, a great yarn that also sheds light on issues that we continue to face today."
Baum elected president of California Community Colleges Board of Governors The California Community Colleges Board of Governors elected CCLP's managing director Geoffrey Baum to serve as president in 2015. As the largest system of higher education in the U.S., the California Community Colleges serve over two million students each year at 112 colleges across 72 districts. "These are both challenging times and an era of unlimited possibility for the California Community Colleges and their vital mission to achieve success, increase access and help prepare each student for the workforce in our global economy," said Baum. "It is a tremendous honor to be elected president of the Board of Governors. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the board and the chancellor, in partnership with the governor and the Legislature, to keep this outstanding system at the forefront of public higher education in the country." https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1119684853848&format=html&printFrame=true
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7/28/2015
Happy New Year and updates from Geoffrey Cowan and the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
Read more on the CCLP blog
Senior fellow publishing new book on California as she wraps up CIR project on armed security guards
As project editor on a twomonth long assignment with the Center for Investigative Reporting, our senior fellow Narda Zacchino oversaw reporter Shoshana Walter's and others' six part series "Hired Guns." The team reported on armed security guards across the country who endanger public safety through a haphazard system of lax laws, minimal oversight and almost no accountability. The project includes a graphic novel and an interactive map. Zacchino and Walter are hoping that the series will raise awareness about this issue and change policies across the country. CNN teamed up with CIR and featured two segments on the story, which will be sent to hundreds of key legislators in policy making positions. "There is a bill in Congress now, by Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, that would make FBI background checks available to security companies that want them," said Zacchino. "Right now that's not the case. We hope our series will enlighten people about the extent of the problem in the security industry and will get that bill passed. Certainly more needs to be done." Zacchino has also written a new book about California, which she has been working on for several years. The book will finally be published this year by Thomas Dunn Books, an imprint of St. Martin's Press. The untitled book, now in the final editing stages, demonstrates that "government" and "regulation" are not dirty words, and that "freedom from environmental and workplace regulation and from taxes to benefit the wealthy class is not conducive to progress as a nation, or democracy for that matter."
Senior fellow Laurie Becklund speaks at Stanford Awardwinning journalist and CCLP senior fellow Laurie Becklund was a featured presenter at Stanford Medicine X, a patient centered conference on emerging technologies in the field of medicine.
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7/28/2015
Happy New Year and updates from Geoffrey Cowan and the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
Watch: Laurie Becklund presents at Stanford Medicine X In her talk, titled "Treat Me Like a Statistic and Save My Life," Becklund shared her personal battle with metastatic breast cancer and discussed the importance of big data in modern cancer treatment and research.
New Fellows Jessica Yellin Visiting Fellow CNN's former chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin recently joined CCLP as a 201415 visiting fellow. "It's an honor to be working with Director Geoffrey Cowan, who has demonstrated that media success can be achieved through conscientious, meaningful work," said Yellin. "It's also an honor to be working with USC, which has always been such an important presence in my hometown of Los Angeles." Described by Elle Magazine as one of the most influential women in Washington, she was awarded the 2010 Gracie Award for her work reporting on women in politics. At CNN she covered the White House, Capitol Hill, and domestic politics, and her documentary on President Obama aired throughout the 2012 election. As a 201415 visiting fellow, Yellin will lend her reporting experience to CCLP's research and programs on the future of news and women in leadership. https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1119684853848&format=html&printFrame=true
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Happy New Year and updates from Geoffrey Cowan and the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
Staff Updates
Justin Chapman Project Fellow
Our new project fellow Justin Chapman is an author, journalist, travel writer, actor, musician and politician. Justin was the youngest elected member of the Altadena Town Council at age 19. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 2009 and has written for over 20 publications.
An avid soccer player, Justin also enjoys snowboarding and golfing. He serves as secretary on three boards of directors and his first book about his travels through Africa, Saturnalia: Traveling from Cape Town to Kampala in Search of an African Utopia, is being published in January 2015 by Rare Bird Books. As a professional child actor he performed in dozens of commercials, television shows and movies. He lives with his fiancee Mercedes in Pasadena, CA, with their dog Fiona, cats Mason and Dixon, and California desert tortoise Stockton.
Happy Thanksgiving from CCLP!
CCLP and the Los Angeles team for The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands shared a delicious Thanksgiving potluck at the office. The 2014 Get Mobile Forum
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7/28/2015
Happy New Year and updates from Geoffrey Cowan and the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
Left to right: CCLP's Mark Latonero; Beatriz Solís, program director at The California Endowment, Healthy Communities Southern Region; and CCLP director Geoffrey Cowan. Covering Global Conflict
USC Annenberg's Dean Ernest J. Wilson III, Ph.D. sits in the audience at CCLP's forum in the new Wallis Annenberg Hall. A Taste of Annenberg
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7/28/2015
Happy New Year and updates from Geoffrey Cowan and the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
Annenberg student Raquel Zsupnik and web & IT coordinator Liz Krane represented CCLP at Annenberg's involvement fair.
Contributing Writers Geoffrey Baum, Liz Krane and Justin Chapman
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