USC Annenberg Agenda Fall 2012

agenda

News from the usc annenberg school for communication and Journalism fall 2012

usc annenberg

Putting storytelling in the hands of the community

Note from the Dean

This issue of USC Annenberg Agenda highlights the myriad possibilities that our students and faculty encounter every day. Whether here in Los Angeles, or around the globe in Havana, London or Beijing, USC Annenberg is engaged, involved, instructing and inventing. We are putting communication at the center of meaningful projects that promote civic engagement, provide information to neglected communities, develop new communication technologies and make an impact on people’s lives.

I am so proud of our ever-growing Civic Engagement and Journalism Initiative. On page 11, you’ll read about our research and practice that are changing the face of communities. In Alhambra, our online news site Alhambra Source is acting as a catalyst for change, bringing news and information to a trilingual audience. Intersections South L.A. unites a community with news and features about its neighborhood.

Mobile Voices, Boyle Heights Beat, Neon Tommy, the R.F.K.L.A. Media Lab—everywhere you turn at USC Annenberg you will find us working to empower people’s lives through communication and journalism.

On Nov. 8, the excitement for the new Wallis Annenberg Hall was overwhelming as we formally broke ground on our new building. More than 250 of our faculty, staff, alumni, students and friends of USC Annenberg joined President Nikias, USC trustees, senior administration and, of course, the

USC marching band for a festive celebration that anticipates the 2014 completion of a building unlike any other communication and journalism building in the world. It is the physical representation of the School’s philosophy—open, collaborative, innovative and entrepreneurial. Wallis Annenberg Hall will enable us to take our vision—converged media spaces, new curriculum, experimental programs, space for collaboration and partnerships—to even greater heights. And with its unique combination of flexible spaces and high technology, there are opportunities to acknowledge significant gifts throughout the building.

Please enjoy this issue of USC Annenberg Agenda, which could be subtitled “Breaking New Ground.” In every imaginable way, USC Annenberg is doing just that. I welcome your thoughts and look forward to working with the entire USC Annenberg community as we shape the future of the information age.

Sincerely,

heard at annenberg

You have the power, each and every one of you, to change the way we as a nation speak to one another—the way we write, the way we use our words. I truly believe you can change our national discourse for the better…

I hope each and every one of you dare to bring change to our community by changing the way we communicate.”

Former California First Lady Maria Shriver, delivering the 2012 Commencement address to the School of Communication audience that included her daughter, Katherine Schwarzenegger (B.A. Communication ’12)

F e at u r e s

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Breaking new ground

fall 2012

With a fanfare and flair that only true Trojans can muster, USC Annenberg ushered in a new era of communication and journalism education Nov. 8 as it officially began construction of the new Wallis Annenberg Hall and kicked off a $150 million fundraising initiative.

EDITOR Tom King EXECUTIVE EDITOR Kay Heitzman CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Greg Asciutto, Jackson DeMos, Russell DeVita, Gretchen Parker, Jeremy Rosenberg, Jessica Zech CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Carlo Acenas, Dan Avila, Karen Graciela Calderon, Jackson DeMos, Wilson Pumpernickel, Sarah Reinertsen, Gus Ruelas, James Santelli, Ziva Santop, Maggie Smith, Take One Productions, Lana D. Wilson

Building a culture of engagement USC Annenberg’s new Civic Engagement and Journalism Initiative combines the best of communication research and journalistic practice to help communities throughout L.A. and around the world serve their citizens more effectively.

No boundaries Although she has been using a prosthetic leg since age seven, Sarah Reinertsen (M.A. Broadcast Journalism ’00) has won four triathlons and represented the U.S. in international competition, proving herself one of the world’s most inspiring and dedicated athletes.

also inside...

News Briefs Student News Faculty Notes Research News Alumni Notes

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DESIGN Etch Creative USC ANNENBERG ADMINISTRATION Ernest J. Wilson III, Dean Larry Gross, Vice Dean and Director, School of Communication Geneva Overholser, Director, School of Journalism BOARD OF COUNCILORS Jarl Mohn, Chair Ron Rogers, Vice Chair Wallis Annenberg Carole Black Lauren Bon Paul Bricault Louise Henry Bryson Frank H. Cruz Harris Diamond William Elkus Toni Erickson Knight Markos Kounalakis Norman Lear Wendy Luers Paula Madison Marc Nathanson Bruce Ramer Linda Johnson Rice Cristine Russell Frederick Ryan Rockwell Schnabel George Schweitzer Wellen Sham Jeffrey Smulyan Charles Annenberg Weingarten Gregory Annenberg Weingarten Ernest J. Wilson III John F. Cooke, Chair Emeritus Ronald L. Olson, Founding Chair USC Annenberg Agenda is published twice a year by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. We welcome your feedback. Send your comments to ascpubs@usc.edu.

The University of Southern California admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin. annenberg.usc.edu

news briefs

Chinese Internet Research Conference focuses on technology and creativity An award-winning video game developer, a creator of groundbreaking iPhone and iPad music apps, and a trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation were among the speakers at USC Annenberg’s 10th Chinese Internet Research Conference in May. They spoke to a diverse group of students, business and entertainment professionals, game developers, academics and technology leaders. They and other speakers probed a wide range of issues, including the rising influence of microblogs, the explosive growth and development of online games, and the mechanics and politics of Internet controls.

With more than 500 million people online—roughly one and a half times the entire population of the United States—China has by far the largest Internet population of any country. “People want to know what’s going on within China regarding the Internet,” said Clay Dube, head of the USC U.S.-China Institute. “How are Internet developments affecting the social, political and economic landscape? And how is China, with its mammoth online population, affecting the Internet for everyone—in terms of governance, economic choices and censorship? Those are the topics we’re exploring here.”

To learn more, visit annenberg.usc.edu/circ

POLITICALLY MINDED More than 350 students, faculty and staff from across campus crowded into the East Lobby to watch a live screening of the first presidential debate of the 2012 election. Reporters and editors from Neon Tommy, Annenberg TV News and the Daily Trojan kept tabs on developments throughout the night, reporting, tweeting and blogging all angles of the live event. “In our four-and-a-half-years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group this engaged, this self-motivated and this talented,” said Neon Tommy Executive Editor Paresh Dave.

To learn more, visit annenberg.usc.edu/election

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Journalism School Director Geneva Overholser and journalism professors Bill Celis and Laura Castañeda

School of Journalism brings home coveted

diversity award

The School of Journalism’s commitment to diversity— in hiring, enrolling, programming and community outreach—has been honored with the national Equity & Diversity Award from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

The AEJMC has granted only three of the awards in the past; USC Annenberg is the fourth recipient of the accolade that recognizes “progress and innovation in racial, gender and ethnic equity and diversity.”

“It is powerful indeed to be recognized for something so important to us at USC Annenberg and so essential to our craft and to our nation,” said Geneva Overholser, director of the School of Journalism.

“Journalism helps us know one another, address challenges and build a future. Everyone must be represented in the story if we are to achieve these goals.”

In the last four years, the School of Journalism has hired nine new faculty members, six of whom are people of color or women, including Overholser, the first female director in the school’s history. Of the school’s 41 full-time faculty, 32 percent are women or members of underrepresented groups. Student diversity is also up, and graduate and undergraduate curriculum has been broadened to focus on diversity and celebrate difference.

To learn more, visit annenberg.usc.edu/diversity

Shining in the international spotlight

USC Annenberg students and faculty hone their skills at London Games If you were fortunate enough to make it to London in August and thought there was an exorbitant amount of cardinal and gold, you weren’t seeing things. However, it wasn’t just Trojan athletes at the 2012 Summer Games that were representing their countries in competition.

In addition to the usual throng of USC athletes competing in the Olympics, a small army of USC Annenberg students, as well as

Twenty-one USC Annenberg students traveled to London for internships with NBC Sports

a revered sportswriter and journalism professor, showed up in the British capital.

“Just thinking about the fact that I’m interning at the Olympics this summer seems surreal,” said broadcast and digital journalism

student Emilie Mateu, who was one of 21 USC Annenberg students that landed internships with NBC Sports.

USC Annenberg was one of five schools across the country that NBC specifically targeted for its Summer Olympics Internship Program. In 2008, NBC hired 10 USC Annenberg students as interns for the Olympics in Beijing.

Suzanne Alcantara, associate director of USC Annenberg’s Office of Career Development and International Programs, attributed the NBC Sports-USC Annenberg partnership to David Neal (B.A. Journalism ’78), former executive vice president of NBC Olympics. Neal suggested that NBC look to USC Annenberg for outstanding students.

“This summer internship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students,” Alcantara said.

Meanwhile, journalism professor Alan Abrahamson didn’t hide his enthusiasm about the London Games.

“The games were fantastic. I would call them the best ever,” Abrahamson said.

When asked about his favorite moment from this year’s competition, Abrahamson hailed the performance of 800-meter gold medalist David Rudisha. The Kenyan runner set a world record while defeating seven runners who each recorded personal-best times.

“It’s the greatest 800 meters that has ever been run—anytime, anyplace,” Abrahamson said. “And that is what the Olympics is all about.”

To learn more, visit annenberg.usc.edu/londongames

USC Annenberg and LSE celebrate 10th anniversary of Global Communication degree partnership Scholars from Los Angeles and London kicked off the Global Communication 10th Anniversary Celebration at USC Annenberg by analyzing the roles global universities—and their students and alumni—should play in the world’s development of higher education.

USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett, London School of Economics and Political Science Pro-Director Stuart Corbridge and UCLA Provost Scott Waugh joined moderator Dean Ernest J. Wilson III on an opening panel titled “What Does It Mean to Be a Global University?”

Provost Garrett said she is excited about the growth of great universities all over the world. She said increased competition from new global universities is beneficial to all institutions because it pushes them to work harder, recruit better faculty and strive for the best students.

From left: Dean Wilson, LSE’s Stuart Corbridge, USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett and UCLA Provost Scott Waugh

“Why would we do anything other than welcome the opportunity to have more educated people asking difficult questions and learning how to answer them in sophisticated ways?” she asked. “I think that is fantastic.”

To learn more, visit annenberg.usc.edu/lse10

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STUDENT NEWS

A trip to “the middle of history”

Students’ visit to Cuba reveals stark contrasts to American way of life In a joint effort between USC Annenberg and the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, 20 USC students traveled to Havana this summer for a 10-day study of the island’s current political, economic and social conditions.

The students, majoring in the fields of international relations, journalism, public relations and public diplomacy, were led by journalism professor Roberto Suro and international relations professor Pamela Starr.

“It’s a nation that’s in the midst of this very dramatic process of change,” said Suro of the longtime communist country, which recently has relaxed longstanding restrictions on travel and communication to the rest of the world.

“It provided (the students) an opportunity to use Cuba as a case study of a transitional nation—a nation in the process of transitioning from an authoritarian regime and a statecontrolled economy to whatever it’s going to be.”

After immersing themselves in the complicated history of Cuba-U.S. relations, the group flew to the isolated island and began their studies at the University of Havana.

“When I first arrived in Havana, I felt like I was dropped right into the middle of history,” said junior international

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relations student Veronica Werhane.

“It was surreal to me that I was beginning a 10-day experience that few Americans will ever have.”

For most of their stay in Cuba, the group followed a rigid schedule of morning sessions at the university followed by culturally immersive excursions throughout the city. Highlights from the list of activities included speaking with officials from Cuba’s progressive sexualStudents studied at the University of Havana education program CENESEX and witnessing the convergence of capitalism and communism through a tour of the city’s food markets.

“One of my favorite experiences was going to the state-run markets that sell state-grown food and the markets that sell privately grown food,” said senior business and international relations student Angeli Agrawal. “It represents the ways Cuba has changed; the quality and prices at the state markets were low, but if you are willing and have money to pay for privately grown food, you can find it.”

Apart from their course-required assignments and outings, many students found time to conduct independent research.

Megan Sweas (M.A. Specialized Journalism ’12) wrote a piece for GlobalPost concerning the state of gay rights on the island.

She said this specific foreign reporting experience taught her the importance of understanding multiple perspectives when analyzing subjects.

“It gives me confidence going forward, when I’m reporting on stories that are complicated and doing international reporting from different locations,” Sweas said.

“I found out I’m able to report here on a very complex situation; if I can do that, what else can I do?”

To learn more, visit annenberg.usc.edu/cuba

Student journalists hailed for achievements The National Association of Black Journalists named broadcast journalism student Eric Burse its Student Journalist of the Year, making Burse the second USC Annenberg student in as many years to win the prestigious prize.

Ashley Williams (B.A. Broadcast and Digital Journalism ’11) won the award last year.

NABJ President Gregory Lee Jr. called Burse “an impressive young man with a proven passion for journalism.”

Eric Burse

Sean Patrick Lewis

Catherine Green

James Santelli

Sean Patrick Lewis, a senior studying broadcast and digital journalism, received two Mark Twain Awards from the Associated Press Television and Radio Association for pieces he produced for USC Annenberg classes.

Lewis won Best Serious Feature for his story “Cyber Hate,” about college students who promoted hate speech online, and Best Light Feature for “A Place Called Home,” which focused on the city of Los Angeles working to get more gay couples to adopt.

Fourteen of Neon Tommy’s student journalists were recognized at the L.A. Press Club’s 54th Annual SoCal Journalism Awards.

Among the four first-place winners were Catherine Green, Neon Tommy’s editor-inchief, who won for best online feature for her piece “Kneading the System: Mark Stambler’s Cottage Food Crusade,” and James Santelli, Neon Tommy’s sports director, who was recognized for his photographic coverage of the USC-Arizona State football game.

Three of Neon Tommy’s 16 nominations came in the Youth Media category, but the balance were in categories otherwise populated by working professionals. USC Annenberg student journalists competed directly with outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, Time magazine, KPCC-FM and KCRW-FM.

USC Annenberg students produce

series for KQED

USC Annenberg teamed up with KQED-FM’s statewide radio program “The California Report” to produce an in-depth series titled “20something” that examines the intimate spaces of young people’s lives.

The series, which includes Web content produced in collaboration with KQED and USC Annenberg’s Neon Tommy, explores the lives of young people who come from unique backgrounds that cut across religion, ethnicity, nationality, geography, legal status and education level. The stories aim to reveal young Californians—and their goals and dreams—in their own words.

The reporting was conducted by eight graduate students in journalism professor Sandy

Tolan’s Advanced Radio Documentary class and edited by Tolan and Victoria Mauleón, associate senior producer of “The Sandy Tolan California Report.” Reporters are Nicole Banner, Jake de Grazia, Raquel Estupinan, Tara Kangarlou, Michele Malkasian, Arezou Rezvani, Megan Sweas and Yasser Zhang.

“These young journalists spent many hours over four months profiling young people as their lives unfolded over time,” Tolan said. “This documentary access made possible intimate portraits that you don’t hear every day.”

PR class develops strategy for Universal

Pictures 100th anniversary celebration Universal Pictures partnered with a USC Annenberg class to figure out a public relations campaign to celebrate the studio’s 100th anniversary.

The students devised a plan to create the firstever in-flight film festival to commemorate 100 years in moviemaking. Passengers on two American Airlines flights were treated to a special in-air transcontinental film festival that featured two of Universal’s most famous films, “Field of Dreams” and “Seabiscuit.”

Universal Pictures senior executives had earlier asked PR professor Matthew Le Veque’s graduate class to brainstorm and create campaign ideas.

“The partnership with USC was a great way for us to create an initiative that was authentic and appealed to our fans,” said Rick Finkelstein, Universal Pictures vice chairman and chief operating officer. “This is a fun and interesting way for us to engage and bring fans together, while celebrating our anniversary.”

Said Jerry Swerling, director of public relations studies at USC Annenberg: “The Universal Studios 100th anniversary partnership, in which our students were challenged to come up with creative strategies and tactics for an extraordinary event, is a perfect example of the real-world opportunities we seek for our students.”

To learn more, visit annenberg.usc.edu/universal

To learn more, visit annenberg.usc.edu/kqed

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special focus: THE FUTURE OF USC ANNENBERG

Wallis Annenberg Hall:

Ushering in a new era of digital med

The USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism heralded its role as a leader of a new era of digital media communication and education with the Nov. 8 groundbreaking of a visionary new building and the launch of a $150 million fundraising drive.

Wallis Annenberg Hall, with five floors and 88,000 square feet, is set to open in Fall 2014 and will be a physical manifestation of USC Annenberg’s dedication to transparency, collaboration and experimentation, Dean Ernest

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J. Wilson III told an audience of about 250 faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the school who gathered for the ceremony.

The Trojan Marching Band trumpeted the arrival of USC dignitaries, who gathered with the audience under a tent erected atop the construction site on the west side of the Pertusati Bookstore. Cardinal and gold confetti rained down on spectators, who cheered as USC President C.L. Max Nikias, USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett, Dean Wil-

son, Annenberg Foundation Executive Director Leonard Aube and KCAL 9 news anchor Sylvia Lopez (B.A. Public Relations ’83) grabbed their ceremonial shovels and posed for a photograph to mark the occasion.

Nikias hailed the extraordinary generosity of Wallis Annenberg, whose family foundation’s donation of $50 million will make the building possible. “It is her tremendous passion for journalism that brings us here today. When it’s completed, Wallis Annenberg Hall will be a gorgeous building. It will be a landmark building. It will be an island of beauty on this campus.”

Plans call for USC’s iconic Gothic flourishes on the exterior and an ultramodern interior, with a 20,000-squarefoot digitally converged newsroom, a four-story atrium, rooftop skylight, and a multistory digital media tower showcasing student programming along with social media and live broadcast news. All over the building, faculty and students will be able to work together in different kinds of spaces—“drop-in” student collaboration areas, multipurpose rooms, meeting rooms, classrooms, open study areas, labs and a laptop lounge.

dia communication

Investing in the future The Nov. 8 groundbreaking ceremony also marked the launch of USC Annenberg’s fundraising initiative, which is part of the $6 billion Campaign for the University of Southern California.

During the years to come, USC Annenberg will make strategic investments in the following areas: Capital Projects: $70 million // Classrooms, studios, labs and other spaces within Wallis Annenberg Hall // Classrooms, gathering spaces and technological upgrades within the historic USC Annenberg building // Communications infrastructure to facilitate collaboration among teams in both buildings

The ceremony also launched the School’s fundraising initiative, which will pay for capital projects to enhance Wallis Annenberg Hall—as well as student scholarships, fellowships, chaired professorships and funding for startups led by students and faculty.

“ Wallis Annenberg Hall is the incarnation

of the ‘Annenberg Advantage.’ All of the spaces have been carefully designed to be connectors and not containers, to be inviting and transparent and to encourage those passing by the building to enter, to experiment, collaborate, innovate and learn.”

—Dean Ernest J. Wilson III

Endowment for Student Scholarships: $30 million // Need- and merit-based undergraduate scholarships // Graduate fellowships // Internships and residencies // Study-abroad stipends Endowment for Faculty, Research and Teaching: $30 million // Chairs and professorships // Directorships // Research centers and institutes Special Initiatives: $20 million // Innovation and start-up funding // Flexible funding to enable existing programs to respond to rapidly changing trends and technologies // Interdisciplinary projects and collaborations Total: $150 million

above, left: The groundbreaking drew a crowd of 250 to the project site, next to the USC Pertusati Bookstore

above, center: KCAL 9 news anchor Sylvia Lopez, USC President C.L. Max Nikias, USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett, Annenberg Foundation Executive Director Leonard Aube and Dean Wilson

above, right: Dean Wilson gave Annenberg Foundation Executive Director Leonard Aube a trio of drawings of the building by lead architect Daniel Benjamin left: The building incorporates USC’s iconic Gothic flourishes with an ultramodern interior

right: A four-story atrium serves as the core of the building, encouraging a sense of community fall 2012

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FACULTY NEWS

Fulk and Monge hailed for “Career of Outstanding Contributions” Communication professors Janet Fulk and Peter Monge have received the Academy of Management’s Career of Outstanding Contributions Award in the Organizational Communication and Information Systems division.

“In giving the award, we looked for preeminent scholars who have contributed to the development of the field,” said Paul Leonardi, a Northwestern University professor who serves on the division’s executive committee. “Peter and Janet have both done that in a lot of ways. Their scholarship is outstanding, they have pioneered areas of research that have become very influential, and they have done a lot of mentoring of junior faculty and graduate students that helped develop their potential as scholars.”

A maximum of two scholars win the award each year, and this is the first time both winners have come from the same university.

“Janet and Peter have really done a fantastic job of helping to bring together the fields of information systems and communication,” Leonardi said. “Their names jumped to the top of the list of potential award winners because they’ve given so much to the field.”

Fulk said the award is particularly special to her because it wasn’t given for a single piece of work.

“The award is for overall contributions that faculty members give to a field or profession,” Fulk said. “That includes research, but it also includes things like Peter editing the journal Communication Research for many years, and me serving on the board of governors of the Academy of ManagePeter Monge and Janet Fulk ment and as a divisional officer in various places.”

Monge agreed. “The award is primarily for research accomplishments, but it takes these other important elements into account, which makes it an all-around award,” he said.

To learn more, visit annenberg.usc.edu/fulkandmonge

“Democratic Spaces” aims to reveal South L.A.’s desire for social change A new collaborative multimedia storytelling exhibit at USC Annenberg paints a picture of South Los Angeles by revealing 15 unique public spaces that embody the community’s push for social change.

The curators of “Democratic Spaces” aim to show South L.A. in a new light, through portrait photography and videos that will reveal untold stories of community organizers and their favorite physical spaces for

The exhibit highlights public spaces throughout South Los Angeles

encouraging social change—places worthy of being featured in the public eye. The sites encourage positive social change, promote advocacy efforts and serve as building blocks for community-based social movements.

“We’re trying to get people to see South L.A. through different eyes,” said communication professor Sandra Ball-Rokeach, who is the humani-

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ties project advisor for “Democratic Spaces.” “There are a lot of places in South L.A. that are wonderful spaces for democracy.”

These spaces include the unexpected safety of a food truck, a vibrant community marketplace, historic public art, a small aquarium for children and much more. The goal of the exhibit is to draw a new portrait of democracy in South L.A. that powerfully counters mainstream narratives that have stigmatized the area.

One of the spaces spotlighted in the exhibit is the Mercado La Paloma, selected by Esperanza Community Housing Corporation community organizer Monic Uriarte. “In South Central L.A., it was almost impossible to get investors to invest in local residents to create local businesses, so Esperanza created Mercado La Paloma to provoke this democratic space,” Uriarte said.

The project is funded by a Cal Humanities Community Stories Grant and is a collaboration between USC Annenberg’s Metamorphosis Project and Intersections South L.A. and their partner community organizations.

Project director and doctoral candidate George Villanueva said, “We believe the work can help members of the USC neighborhood be responsible community citizens—and be aware of and directly involved in some of the critical social issues that take place here every day.”

The exhibit is on view at USC Annenberg through December, at which point it will be archived at local South L.A. community sites.

To learn more, visit annenberg.usc.edu/democraticspaces

IN PRINT

From the faculty bookshelf...

AuthenticTM: The Politics of Ambivalence in a Brand Culture

By Sarah Banet-Weiser NYU Press Drawing on examples ranging from urban street artists to corporate conscience campaigns, communication professor Sarah Banet-Weiser’s latest book tracks the influence of branding on social and cultural relationships, and charts the evolution of brands from marketing tools to touchstones of personal identity.

Exhibit showcases the art of persuasion “Drawing Conclusions: The Editorial Cartoon,” an exhibit featuring political cartoons by well-known artists, is on display at USC Annenberg through May 2013

Communication professor Robert Scheer and Larry Gross, Vice Dean and School of Communication director, collaborated with artist “Mr. Fish” (aka Dwayne Booth, who created the above illustration) to bring to USC Annenberg about 70 drawings created by America’s most critical-thinking and creative editorial cartoonists. The works will be displayed outside of the Geoffrey Cowan Forum on the second floor through May 2013.

Sixteen artists are highlighted in wall displays designed by Booth. The displays feature the artists explaining—via words and images—their respective influences, whomever and whatever they may be.

Scheer and Gross are both longtime fans of editorial cartooning. Scheer conceived the idea for the exhibition in part thanks to the “tremendous traffic” that the cartoons by Mr. Fish and others receive on Truthdig, a news website that Scheer edits.

Gross attributes the staying power of a good cartoon to its ability to boil an argument down to its essence. “It’s been observed by many people that an incisive, humorous criticism often sticks much more than any other kind,” Gross said. “It can become the tag that’s very hard for the target to erase. People remember. It’s a very powerful weapon.”

“Drawing Conclusions: The Editorial Cartoon” is co-sponsored by the Future of Journalism Foundation, a project of Community Partners. The foundation is a nonprofit formed by Scheer, Gross and University Professor and former USC Annenberg Dean Geoffrey Cowan.

Cartoons have an ancient history, Gross said.

“We have examples going back thousands of years, as a way of making a rapid and often very powerful public statement,” Gross said. “It’s a way to affix an argument or a position or a point to a public audience.”

To learn more, visit annenberg.usc.edu/cartoons

Networks of Outrage and Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age

By Manuel Castells Policy Press Manuel Castells, who holds the Wallis Annenberg Chair in Communication Technology and Society, examines the social, cultural, political and technological roots of social movements around the world—from the Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street—and probes the ways that global communication networks make them possible.

Tijuana Dreaming: Life and Art at the Global Border Co-edited by Josh Kun Duke University Press Communication and journalism professor Josh Kun curates this introduction to the arts, culture, politics and economics of one of Mexico’s most iconic cities.

Touching on topics ranging from infrastructure to art to crime, the anthology presents a kaleidoscopic portrait of a major border city in the age of globalization.

Real-Time Diplomacy: Politics and Power in the Social Media Era

By Philip Seib Palgrave Macmillan USC Center on Public Diplomacy Director Philip Seib’s latest book analyzes the essential—but often unhappy—marriage between diplomacy and new media, evaluating media’s reach and influence, and determining how policymakers might take advantage of media’s real-time capabilities rather than being driven by them.

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facult y notes

Journalism professor Dan Birman’s documentary

Journalism professor Robert Hernandez was

runner-up in the Long Form Video category for a

University of Colorado Boulder. As part of his ap-

“Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story” was named a

Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. The film, which takes an in-depth look at a 16-year-old girl

who is serving a life sentence for murder, aired on

PBS’ “Independent Lens” program in March 2011.

The Casey Medals are given by the Journalism

Center on Children and Families at the University of Maryland’s Merrill College of Journalism.

Hollywood, Health & Society Director Sandra de Castro Buffington participated in a summit

meeting in Atlanta titled “Sustaining U.S. Leadership in Global Health and Water.” The conference was sponsored by the Center for Strategic and

International Studies, the World Affairs Council of Atlanta and CARE USA.

Wallis Annenberg Chair in Communication

Technology and Society Manuel Castells was

named the Kluge Chair in Technology and Society at the Library of Congress’ John W. Kluge Center.

Castells will use the library’s collections to research Europe’s currency crisis for a forthcoming book.

Journalism professor Marc Cooper interviewed

named the Hearst Professional-in-Residence at the pointment, he spoke about the importance of social media and technology for modern journalists.

Communication professor Tom Hollihan hosted

a delegation of 36 students from the Communication University of China at USC Annenberg. The

students toured local sites, met USC students and

learned about the graduate programs. Later in the summer, Hollihan and communication professor

Patti Riley traveled to Hong Kong and Shanghai with five USC Annenberg students.

Communication and journalism professor Josh Kun

collaborated with The Grammy Museum to curate a large-scale exhibit on Los Angeles music, “Trouble in Paradise: Music and Los Angeles, 1945-1975,” which was part of the Getty initiative Pacific

Standard Time. The exhibit was the culmination of

nearly a year of work by Kun to research and collect artifacts and ephemera. He had the help of USC

Annenberg students in his Communication 400:

Music and Los Angeles class, which was dedicated to the topics of the exhibit.

California Governor Jerry Brown for a cover story

Columbia Journalism Review included School of

“The Governor’s Last Stand,” Cooper detailed the

Divine Sisterhood,” its article listing 40 women

in the August issue of Pacific Standard magazine. In challenges Brown faces in his quest to balance the state’s budget.

Public relations professor Jennifer Floto won

USC’s Mellon Mentoring Award for her dedica-

Journalism Director Geneva Overholser in “The who changed the media business during the past 40 years. Other influential women such as Katie

Couric, Oprah Winfrey, Arianna Huffington and Diane Sawyer also made the list.

tion to USC Annenberg undergraduate students.

Communication professor emeritus A. Michael

build a supportive academic environment at

New Jersey celebrating the 50th anniversary of the

The award “honors individual faculty for helping USC through faculty-to-student and facultyto-faculty mentoring.”

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Noll contributed a column to The Star-Ledger of

communication satellite Telstar, the first satellite to

receive a signal from one side of the Atlantic Ocean and send it back down to the other.

FACULTY NEWS

Communication professor Robert Scheer won the

Three join ranks of faculty

national Society of Professional Journalists award for best independent online column. Scheer won

the award for his columns on Truthdig, where he is editor-in-chief.

Communication professor Paolo Sigismondi moderated the “Video Innovation! Social Video, Real-Time Video, Face-to-Face Video—Communication and

Commerce” panel at the Digital Hollywood conference in Marina del Rey. Digital Hollywood brings together executives from film, television, music,

Mike Ananny Assistant professor of communication and journalism Mike Ananny researches the public significance of systems for networked journalism. Specifically, he studies how institutional, social, technological and normative forces both shape and reflect the design of the online press and a public’s right to hear. He is also a faculty associate with Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society, and holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University’s Department of Communication, a master’s from the MIT Media Lab and a bachelor’s from the University of Toronto.

home video, cable, telecommunications and comput-

er industries to discuss the impact of the information revolution on the media industry.

The John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foun-

dation announced that journalism professor Roberto Suro has been elected to its board of trustees. The

foundation, which is named for a couple responsible for many of the Progressive government reforms

adopted in California at the turn of the last century, is the oldest private foundation in Los Angeles.

Public relations professors Jerry Swerling and Kjer-

stin Thorson co-authored a paper, “Changing Roles, Changing Status: Comparing the Role of PR Across Organizations in the United States and Europe,”

William Morgan Professor of communication William Morgan holds a joint appointment at USC Annenberg and the USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. He has served as editor and published extensively in the Journal of the Philosophy of Sport as well as major journals in sport studies, social theory and general philosophy. He has authored two books, Why Sports Morally Matter and Leftist Theories of Sport: A Critique and Reconstruction, and edited several anthologies focusing on the philosophy of sport and sport ethics.

Morgan is a former president of the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport and an active fellow of the American Kinesiology Association. In 1988, he was awarded a Fulbright Senior Professor and Research Award to teach and conduct research at Philipps-Universität Marburg.

that was one of four Top Paper Award winners at the

Marcia Alesan Dawkins

Education and Research Association.

Marcia Alesan Dawkins writes frequently on race, diversity, media, religion and politics for several academic and mainstream publications. Her first book, Clearly Invisible: Racial Passing and the Color of Cultural Identity, was published in August by Baylor University Press. She earned her Ph.D. in communication from USC Annenberg in 2009, her master’s degrees in humanities from USC and New York University, and her bachelor’s degree in communication arts with honors from Villanova.

annual meeting of the European Public Relations

Dean Ernest J. Wilson III was elected to the Amer-

ican Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies, which includes

more than 250 Nobel laureates and 60 Pulitzer Prize winners on its roster. Wilson also wrote a piece in

Foreign Affairs magazine urging tech firms to play a

Clinical assistant professor of communication

stronger role in U.S. foreign policy.

fall 2012

11

cover feature

Igniting a New Civic Sp

By Scott Fields

12 usc annenberg agenda

irit

USC Annenberg is finding new ways to combine communication and journalism to support civic engagement and a strengthened democracy Something is changing in Alhambra, California: People are talking more. The citizens of this once rather complacent multilingual city of 85,000 just east of Los Angeles are coming together to let their voices be heard on a range of local issues where little attention was paid before.

Take, for example, the controversy over the city laws that stop Alhambra churches from housing the homeless. Or the fight against a developer with plans to build a multi-unit housing complex in an area of single-family homes.

Or the cry for a dog park within city limits. All these issues—and many more—have made their way to the Alhambra City Council with citizens regularly voicing their opinions on council matters via online polls and commentary.

What is shifting Alhambra? Part of the answer lies in an office at 1000 Fremont Avenue, where the Alhambra Source, an online news site launched by USC Annenberg two years ago as a response to the area’s low level of civic engagement, is acting as a catalyst for change.

It was the result of more than two years of research into community needs led by communication professor Sandra Ball-Rokeach and journalism professor Michael Parks.

Representatives from the Source’s 50 community contributors, who speak 10 languages among them, come together once a month to give status reports and pitch new story ideas.

The scene is more family room than boiler room, with “a potluck dinner and a supportive atmosphere,” says Joe Soong, a civilian neighbor relations analyst at the Los Angeles Police Department who also spends between 10 and 15 hours per month as a community contributor.

“When I was growing up here, there was a definite lack of awareness of city government and local issues,” explains intern Esmee Xavier, who has reported for the Source approximately 20 to 25 hours a week since January,

and who recently covered the debate over the City Council’s opposition to locating recycling centers in supermarket parking lots.

“We’re definitely influencing the local political and media agenda of Alhambra,” says Daniela Gerson (M.A. Specialized Journalism ’10), editor of the Source, pointing to recent articles on city bicycle policy and the achievement gap in the school system.

Across the spectrum of USC Annenberg Citizen reporting and other forms of community engagement are fast taking hold across many departments at USC Annenberg. “We’re not sitting here in the ivory tower looking inward, we’re using our burgeoning research and practice to bring people together in a new spirit of cooperation,” says Geneva Overholser, director of USC Annenberg’s School of Journalism. “We’re enriching the flow of reliable information in the neighborhoods around us so that people can live richer lives and become better citizens.”

According to Overholser, USC Annenberg is “pursuing possibility in a diverse city that feels like the future of America,” with such publications as the online Intersections South L.A., founded by journalism professors Willa Seidenberg and Bill Celis, and the print and online Boyle Heights Beat, co-founded by USC Annenberg with The California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships and the Spanish language daily La Opinión.

“Long gone is the day journalists dictated to the public about what they need to know,” Overholser continues. “Consumers are becoming active participants.”

Participation is at the heart of the Civic Engagement and Journalism Initiative, which joins the Source and Intersections, and merges them with the research muscle of USC Annenberg’s Metamorphosis Project.

fall 2012 13

cover feature

In October, the new initiative launched “Reporter Corps,” a program that grew out of a group of 18- to 26-year-olds that expressed interest in reporting on their own communities.

Funding from the McCormick Foundation enabled Gerson, working with coordinating editor Jasmin Lopez and editorial fellow Nasrin Aboulhosn, to systematize the program so that the six young people—all of whom grew up or live in Alham-

With ParTour, initiated in conjunction with the Mobile Urban Mapping Project and Metamorphosis, and made possible in part by a grant from USC Neighborhood Outreach, communication professor François Bar has built on the technology he developed two years ago for Mobile Voices.

While Mobile Voices enables immigrant and/or low-wage workers to create stories about their lives and communities

“ It’s very important for us to engage with members of the community, not only

with regard to the reporting, but also to measure the impact this is all having.”

—Geneva Overholser bra and are immigrants or children of immigrants—will be provided with the necessary skills and opportunities to report on their community. In May, the program will be expanded to South L.A. and Intersections.

“These young people do great reporting,” says Gerson.

“They cover city issues and then translate into a language that both their peers and parents can understand.”

Building an audience for online engagement Neon Tommy, the highly successful student-run news website at USC Annenberg, has seen its audience grow to approximately 400,000 hits per month—putting it at the top of online-only university publications.

“Journalism has become a shared experience,” says Marc Cooper, the director of USC Annenberg Digital News who helped launch the site and still oversees it. “We’re very much in the business of bringing our own content and our own journalism into a mix with content that is generated by users, by community groups and by individuals.”

As a result, Neon Tommy has recently embarked on partnerships to share content and story ideas with two community websites, L.A. Currents in West L.A. and WEHOville in West Hollywood—the latter run by former Neon Tommy staff member Dan Watson (M.A. Online Journalism ’12).

“I don’t really think it’s possible for journalists to serve the civic good unless they’re deeply engaged in this sort of network journalism,” Cooper says. “It constitutes part of what is a new civic society.”

Meanwhile, back at the lab…

Research that keeps new civic engagement ideas coming is constantly underway at the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab, with numerous projects and strategic partnerships on the drawing board.

14 usc annenberg agenda

directly from their cell phones, ParTour focuses on giving citizens the ability to use cell phones for community storytelling and mapping.

Bar has tested ParTour with bike rides around South L.A. organized with T.R.U.S.T. South L.A. and other community groups. Using ordinary cell phones with text or picture messages, bicyclists posted photos they took of specific locations onto an online map that was then distributed in print.

“We’re enabling community members to have a voice in what they’d like included in a map of their neighborhoods,” Bar explains. “Especially in low-income areas, people aren’t often actively invited to engage in designing their environment or trying to make change to it. We’re looking for novel ways for them to engage in discussion… where they can give commentary about their physical surroundings.

“We’re essentially reversing the traditional city planning process of holding hearings that typically shut out residents who can’t make it to City Hall,” Bar continues. “We do the events in a place where we can really engage the citizens.”

From crises to classrooms The connection between mobile devices and the Internet in the creation of maps is also the basis for the Innovation Lab’s Crisis Connection Project, a joint venture with the Homeland Security Advisory Council and led by Gabriel Kahn, director of the Future of Journalism research project at the Lab. “In an earthquake or hurricane situation, citizens can use their mobile phones to send a photo of a fallen telephone pole or tree blocking an intersection that is immediately uploaded into an online map,” Kahn explains. Citizens are also able to include other crucial details, such as any immediate need for medical care. This way, news organizations receive real-time information that improves the pace of their dissem-

Previous page and above left: Citizen reporters from the Alhambra Source cover their community. Above right, Michelle Levander, director of the USC Annenberg California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships, works with a student on Boyle Heights Beat.

ination of essential information. The Ahmanson Foundation recently supported the project with a $600,000 grant.

Young people are the focus of a multifaceted Innovation Lab research project referred to as PLAY! (Participatory Learning and You!), where children—as well as the adults who surround them—take part in the creation and circulation of media content within social networks that extend from their circle of friends outward into the community.

An important facet of this program takes place within the scope of the Lab’s partnership with the R.F.K.-L.A. media lab at the R.F.K. Community Schools, six autonomous Los Angeles Unified School District pilot schools located at the site of the former Ambassador Hotel. Focusing on the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem solving, students and teachers from elementary to high school engage in multimedia activities designed to encourage participatory learning and civic engagement.

“It’s meant to foster a more participatory culture where everyone has the skills, the knowledge and support they need to participate in the community,” says Erin Reilly, managing creative director at the Innovation Lab. “The journalism of the future is definitely about everybody taking ownership of their own public spaces,” Reilly continues. “If we encourage play at a young age—if we encourage

experimentation and the willingness to tinker in our surroundings—then we foster the participatory learning that is at the heart of play, and we create a culture where kids will grow up thinking about how to be better citizens and how to voice their opinions in the public space.”

USC Annenberg provides the leadership USC Annenberg recently held a forum where 15 community members spoke about how these measures are impacting their communities.

“It’s very important for us to engage with members of the community, not only with regard to the reporting, but also to measure the impact this is all having and how we can improve on it,” Overholser says.

Gerson attributes the success to the fact that USC Annenberg’s approach is unique.

“There’s definitely a real trend to create community news sites,” Gerson says. “But what appears different at USC Annenberg is that we’re joining journalism and scholarly research into community needs and impact. That doesn’t seem to be happening anywhere else.”

“It’s hard to cross from research and theory and put it into practice,” concludes Overholser. “But it’s also tremendously rewarding.” fall 2012 15

research news

Center for Health Reporting receives multimillion dollar vote of support The California HealthCare Foundation has awarded a $3.725 million grant to USC Annenberg’s Center for Health Reporting, allowing it to continue delivering vital health and health care information to communities across California for another three years.

The center is a partnership among the foundation, USC Annenberg and more than 60 print, online, radio and television media partners throughout the Golden State.

Founded in 2009 under the direction of former School of Journalism Director and Los Angeles Times Editor-in-Chief Michael Parks, the center employs seven journalists who are overseen by Editor-in-Chief David Westphal and Managing Editor Richard Kipling.

The journalists craft in-depth reports about health-related topics. The resulting “projects” aim to examine, explain and, whenever possible, have direct impact on policy and solutions.

This fall, two of the center’s journalists, Emily Bazar and Health Journalism Fellow Jocelyn Wiener, received a California Journal-

ism Award for “Dental Program Proves Painful,” which ran in The Sacramento Bee. The story was one of several under the umbrella title “Cavity Kids.” Over the course of the series, the center’s reporters found only 30 percent of the children enrolled in a Sacramento County dental care program had visited a dentist during the 2010-2011 fiscal year, compared to a statewide average of nearly 50 percent.

The reporting motivated state leaders to roll out new program regulations and spurred a new state law to prevent further failures of access to these youth dental programs.

“This is the kind of work that we hope we can do,” Westphal said. “We can explore in very substantial and deep ways important health programs in California and spotlight ones that aren’t working—as this program clearly wasn’t.”

In addition to changing the conversation regarding health issues, the center is also part of a cadre of experimental efforts nationwide to rethink the future of journalism.

From left: Senior Writer John Gonzales, Managing Editor Richard Kipling, Editor-in-Chief David Westphal, Multimedia Journalist Lauren M. Whaley, Senior Writer Emily Bazar, Senior Writer Deborah Schoch, and Program Coordinator Bobby Kirkwood

When the center launched, Westphal said, there were questions about whether a foundation-funded news organization affiliated with a university could produce work that would be published by independent news organizations.

Three years later, with more than 68 projects complete, Westphal said the center has been a success.

“Not only from the standpoint of the foundation’s investment,” he said, “but also from the standpoint of a learning laboratory for the journalism school.”

To learn more, visit annenberg.usc.edu/chcfgrant

Knight Digital Media Center to train foundations on community information strategies USC Annenberg’s Knight Digital Media Center will expand its reach into communities by helping locally focused foundations meet community information needs, with new support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Building on the center’s expertise in guiding news startups, the center will help foundations develop digital strategies—which will include news and information projects—to inform and interact with Vikki Porter their constituencies. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will provide the center with $1.66 million in support of the effort.

“Our hope is to be a resource for community foundations that want to do more to meet the information needs of their communities,” said Vikki Porter, director of the Knight Digital Media Center. “We’ll be helping them identify those needs and provide strategies for meeting them.”

The center will offer: // A redesigned website with expanded resources for foundations and news entrepreneurs; 16 usc annenberg agenda

// A n annual “boot camp,” coaching and virtual classes for Knight grantees; // R egional seminars on digital strategies for local foundation CEOs and organization leaders; // W orkshops on business skills essential to startups’ success and sustainability.

The news and information projects supported by the center could include hyperlocal news sites or informational websites, but won’t be limited to those kinds of programs, Porter said.

The center’s expanded mission fits perfectly with that of USC Annenberg, said School of Journalism Director Geneva Overholser. “We’ll now be training more community-based outlets and foundation leaders to come up with projects that they believe meet the information needs of their communities,” Overholser said. “So I think that’s extremely smart, and it really fits with our own emphasis in the journalism school on community engagement.”

To learn more, visit annenberg.usc.edu/kdmcfoundations

USC Annenberg Goes to Washington Dean Wilson and a team of USC Annenberg scholars presented an overview of research on the critical information needs of communities at the Federal Communications Commission.

Dean Ernest J. Wilson III

Carola Weil

The American public has measurable, significant and unmet information needs at the individual and community level, a team of USC Annenberg researchers concluded at a meeting with the Federal Communications Commission.

The FCC’s Office of Communications Business Opportunities hosted the public meeting to review a report prepared by Dean Ernest J. Wilson III, doctoral student Katherine Ognyanova and Carola Weil, who at the time was USC Annenberg’s director of international and strategic partnerships. In July, Weil was named dean of the new School of Professional and Extended Studies at American University.

Dean Wilson and his colleagues were joined by fellow researchers Lew Friedland of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Philip Napoli of Fordham University.

The team made five recommendations:

Katherine Ognyanova

// T o fulfill the FCC’s statutory mission, investigate whether and how local information needs are met.

This is the critical first step to understanding how markets, government policies, and individual and group actions can meet the information needs of their communities. // T ake into account dynamics within communities and specific populations in studying critical information needs. // A nalyze the exponentially growing costs of network exclusion and the increasingly complex functioning of local media systems. // C omplement existing econometric analyses with additional analytic models such as a communication ecological approach. // D evelop robust, testable metrics for policy- and community-relevant evaluation.

The project builds in part on a Knight Foundation funded workshop held at USC Annenberg in January 2012 about redefining diversity in a digital age.

To learn more, visit annenberg.usc.edu/fcc

Local TV news leading information source for voters in Election 2012 USC Annenberg’s Center on Communication Leadership & Policy partnered with the Los Angeles Times to learn how voters get their political news and information.

Among the results: Older voters were much more likely to turn to television for their news and opinion, whereas one in five younger voters gets most of his or her news from a smartphone or other mobile device. Overall, though, local TV news is king in political news and information.

Selected results from the survey:

What outlets do you turn to every day to get your news? (multiple responses allowed)

Local TV news Local newspaper (print or online) Nightly news on CBS, ABC or NBC Fox News Friends or family Network morning shows Facebook Google News or Yahoo News

39% 35% 33% 28% 28% 25% 25% 21%

CNN MSNBC NPR National newspaper (print or online) Conservative talk radio PBS

19% 19% 19% 12% 12% 11%

Blogs “The Daily Show” or “Colbert Report”

11% 6%

Twitter YouTube Spanish-language TV TELEVISION

58

%*

SOCIAL MEDIA

6% 2%

NEWSPAPER

RADIO

*of registered voters Learn more about the survey at annenberg.usc.edu/voterpoll

fall 2012

17

Alumni profile

No Boundaries

Despite losing her leg at age 7, a USC Annenberg alum has become one of the

By Jeremy Rosenberg

When Sarah Reinertsen (M.A. Broadcast Journalism ’00) arrived at USC Annenberg, the Long Island native didn’t know how to swim.

Sure, she was an elite track runner who had competed in the 19 Paralympic Games and would soon go on to become a champion endurance athlete. And sure, back then she could float and doggie paddle and tread water and play “Marco Polo.” But swim freestyle?

Not a chance.

So Reinertsen signed up for an early-morning beginners’ aquatics class at the USC Physical Education Building. She’d put on her bathing suit, uncouple her prosthetic leg, jump in and learn the crawl.

Fast forward a scant four years. In 2003, Reinertsen competed in her first Ironman competition. For those unfamiliar with one of the most demanding athletic events on the planet, that means swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and then running a 26.2-mile marathon— consecutively.

In 2005, Reinertsen became the first woman with a prosthetic leg to finish this grueling test of human will. It took her just over 15 hours.

“As an Ironman, you seek and test limits and stretch yourself beyond what you think is possible,” says Reinertsen, who was born with a degenerative tissue disorder that necessitated her left leg being amputated above the knee when she was 7 years old.

“On paper, this girl with one leg wasn’t supposed to go on to become an Ironman athlete,” Reinertsen says. “But it’s really discipline and hard work that got me there.”

If some of Reinertsen’s quotes read like lines from a memoir or a motivational speech, well, they should. In addition to having competed in the 1992 Paralympic Games in Barcelona, winning four triathlons, being a past member of the U.S. Disabled Track Team and currently serving on the USA Paratriathlon National team, Reinertsen also wrote an autobiography, “In a Single Bound.” She also gives lectures around the nation to corporations and organizations ranging from NASA to Nike and Össur—the creators of the iconic “Cheetah” style running prosthetic.

“I use my broadcast journalism skills,” Reinertsen says, “on stage instead of through television right now.”

Reinertsen came to national and international prominence when she was a cast member in 2006 on the unscripted television show, “The Amazing Race.”

“It was fun to do a reality show, but I want to continue to do more,” Reinertsen says. “I have this unique voice as someone with a disability, and we need to see that in more places in the media.”

18 usc annenberg agenda

At USC Annenberg, Reinertsen says each of her professors inspired her to explore all varieties of topics. “I also wrote a lot about how people with disabilities are covered in the media,” she says. The subject has remained close to her heart ever since.

“It’s fascinating to watch the Paralympics and see how they have been covered here—or not covered here,” Reinertsen says of last summer’s London Games. “And to see how they were covered in Europe and elsewhere abroad.”

Reinertsen says she’s noticing an evolution in reporting and commentary. “I think we are finally breaking through this other side of it not just being ‘inspirational.’” Reinertsen says. “Let’s talk about the achievements.”

Reinertsen’s interests in all things USC Annenberg extend to programs launched and professors hired since her graduation. Reinertsen, who appeared on the cover of ESPN The Magazine’s “The Body” issue and also won an ESPY, says she studied journalism because she maintains a healthy “child-like enthusiasm and curiosity.”

alumni notes

world’s best female athletes

Rosemary O’Brien (B.A. Journalism ’76) is the media relations strategist at Runyon, Saltzman & Einhorn, a public relations and advertising firm in Sacramento. O’Brien worked in public relations in New York for 20 years before relocating to her native state of California. She has worked for A&E, The History Channel and ESPN. O’Brien serves on the Alumni Board of Directors.

Kirk Stewart (M.A. Public Relations ’76) is a 2012 Widney Alumni House Award recipient for his dedication

and service to USC Annenberg. Stewart is an active member of the USC Alumni Club of New York and plays an important role in the USC community.

Stewart is the executive director at APCO Worldwide.

Patti Johnson (B.A. Journalism ’78) is a 2012 Widney Alumni House Award recipient for her dedication and service to USC. Johnson is a member of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors and is an active member of the Trojan League of South Bay.

Both are evident in the interest she takes upon learning about the USC Annenberg Institute of Sports, Media & Society—founded and directed by communication professor Daniel Durbin—and in the recent hiring of journalism professor Alan Abrahamson, a longtime Los Angeles Times sportswriter and expert on the Olympics.

Reinertsen’s varied pursuits are also on vivid display on her website, which carries a URL that is as clever as it is meaningful.

“It’s a constant reminder of seeking out what’s possible and always trying and being valiant in the attempt,” Reinertsen says of www.alwaystri.com.

Learn more about how USC Annenberg alumni are breaking boundaries at annenbergalumni.com

Bob Gold (M.A. Communication Management ’80) was recently selected by Telit Wireless Solutions to lead its global public relations program. He currently serves on the USC Annenberg Alumni Board of Directors.

Jeff Kaufman (B.A. Journalism ’82) is a producer on KCET-TV’s nightly news program “SoCal Connected.” He previously served as a technical adviser on the HBO series “The Newsroom.”

Mary Ann Meek-Hoffarth (B.A. Print Journalism ’83) is the deputy editor of the Los Angeles Times.

Eric W. Rothenbuhler (Ph.D. Communication ’85) is the new dean of Webster University’s School of Communications in St. Louis. Prior to his appointment as dean, Rothenbuhler was associate dean of the Scripps College of Communication and a professor in the School of Media Arts and Studies at Ohio University.

Anh Do (B.A. Print Journalism ’89) is a multicultural communities reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, Do was the vice president at Nguoi Viet Daily News and a reporter there for nearly 10 years.

Kyra Phillips (B.A. Broadcast Journalism ’90) is an anchor for HLN’s “Morning Express” and “Evening Express.” She moved to HLN from CNN, where she was an anchor on “Newsroom.” During her career she has been recognized with five Emmys and two Edward R. Murrow awards, and was named Associated Press Reporter of the Year in 1997.

Lisa Leslie (B.A. Communication ’98) was an NBC analyst for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Leslie is a former WNBA player and a four-time Olympic gold medalist. While at USC, Leslie set Pac-10 records for scoring, rebounding and blocked shots and holds the USC record for blocked shots in a single season at 95.

Ari Wolfe (M.A. Broadcast Journalism ’98) made his Olympic debut as a playby-play announcer for table

tennis at the 2012 London Games. Wolfe is currently a play-by-play announcer for the NFL Network, Universal Sports, Minnesota Vikings Football and Mountain West Sports Network.

fall 2012

19

Alumni Notes

Manuel Bojorquez (B.A. Broadcast Journalism ’00) is a Dallasbased correspondent for CBS News. Bojorquez moved to CBS from WSB-TV in Atlanta, where he was a general assignment reporter. He has received multiple awards, including a 2011 NATAS Southeast Emmy for Live Reporting and the Associated Press Award for Best Live Reporting for his coverage of Arizona wildfires in 2004 and 2005.

Tina Kefalas (B.A. Communication ’00) represented her native country of Greece in the marathon at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Donald Suxho (B.A. Communication ’00) competed in the 2012 Olympic Games in London as a member of the USA men’s national volleyball team.

He had previously played in the Athens Olympic Games in 2004.

Shashank Bengali (B.A. Broadcast Journalism ’01) is a national security reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, Bengali was a foreign correspondent and editor for McClatchy Newspapers.

Todd Nelson (M.A. Communication Management ’01) is senior vice president of strategic initiatives at HealthCare Associates Credit Union in Chicago. Previously, he served as president of the board of directors at Amanecer Community Counseling Services. Nelson is also the director of fundraising on the Annenberg Alumni Board of Directors.

20 usc annenberg agenda

Alden Stoner (B.A. Communication ’01) is the new vice president of social action film campaigns at Participant Media. Stoner leads the film team on developing integrated campaigns to activate audiences for positive social change in collaboration with nongovernmental organizations. Participant Media has multiple award-winning films, including “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Food, Inc.” and “Waiting for Superman.”

Mark Van Lommel (B.A. Communication ’02) is an account director for Wonacott Communications. He has 10 years of public relations experience in the video game and home entertainment industries, including positions at Nexon America and Edelman.

Alicia Quarles (B.A. Broadcast Journalism ’02) is a correspondent for E! News. Prior to her position at E!, Quarles was the global entertainment and lifestyles editor at the Associated Press.

Qwesi “Q” McCray (B.A. Broadcast Journalism ’03) is a reporter for KABC-TV in Los Angeles. His previous reporting positions include stints at WALA in Pensacola, Fla., WSVN in Miami and WFTV in Orlando.

Lisa Daftari (M.A. Broadcast Journalism ’06) was honored by the Foreign Policy Association’s “Iranian Women in American Journalism” project. Daftari is an analyst and independent journalist working in Los Angeles. She has worked with numerous news outlets including NPR, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News and PBS.

Peter Daut (B.A. Broadcast Journalism ’06) is a weekday co-anchor for Channel 9 Eyewitness News “Daybreak” on WSOC-TV in Charlotte, N.C. He previously worked as a reporter and anchor for KDFW in Dallas, where he won an Emmy for his report on the shooting massacre at Fort Hood.

Irene Mason (B.A. Communication ’06) was promoted to director of community and alumni relations at Polytechnic School in Pasadena. Prior to her promotion she was an alumni relations officer at Polytechnic.

Ashley Cooper (B.A. Communication and Public Relations ’04, M.A. Strategic Public Relations ’06) is a 2012 Widney Alumni House Award recipient for her dedication and service to USC. Cooper is the associate director of corporate and foundation relations at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

Alex Boekelheide (M.A. Communication Management ’08) is executive director of communications at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

Megan Chao (M.A. Broadcast Journalism ’08) won three Silver Telly awards for her work on “Chasing Speed: Leslie Porterfield.” The documentary follows the world’s fastest female motorcyclist on her quest to break a highly coveted land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Chao is director of development, producer and editor for Daniel H. Birman Productions. She is an adjunct faculty member at USC Annenberg.

Philip Sokoloski (M.A. Strategic Public Relations ’09) is vice president of integrated communications at Film LA, where he has worked since 2004.

Rebecca Soni (B.A. Communication ’09) won two gold medals and one silver medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games as a member of the U.S. swim team.

Soni also broke the world record in the 200-meter breaststroke with a time of 2:19. Soni competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics during her junior year and became the first woman in NCAA history to win the national title in the 200-yard breaststroke four years in a row.

Daphne Wang (M.A. Strategic Public Relations ’09) was named one of PRWeek’s “40 Under 40” rising stars in public relations. Wang is an associate director at APCO Worldwide.

Benjamin S. Brown (B.A. Broadcast Journalism ’10) launched “First Grade Food Critics” at the elementary school in Las Vegas where he teaches. The program gives restaurants across Las Vegas the opportunity to provide dining experiences for underprivileged children in an effort to promote writing development, nutrition education and career awareness. The students are developing a dining guide with healthy food options to use as a reference when dining out.

Tumua Anae (B.A. Communication ’10) won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games as a member of the U.S. women’s water polo team.

Anae was a three-time first-team All-American and 2010 NCAA champion while at USC. She is USC’s all-time leader in career saves and singleseason saves and is one of only two goalies to be named as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s Player of the Year.

Branché Foston (B.A. Communication ’11) is one of six Alfred Fleishman Diversity Fellows.

The program places outstanding seniors and graduate students from around the country in yearlong fellowships at the strategic communications firm Fleishman-Hillard International Communications. Upon completing her term at their Chicago office, Foston will be considered for full-time employment at the firm.

Read more alumni news and send us an alumni note at annenbergalumni.com

Ariana Gomez (B.A. Public Relations ’11) is social media coordinator for L.A.’s Fashion District, promoting the business improvement district’s social presence.

Brittney Marin (B.A. Broadcast and Digital Journalism ’11) is the press deputy for City of Los Angeles Councilmember Bernard Parks.

Matt Schrader (B.A. Broadcast Journalism ’11) is a 2012 Emmy Award winner for his specialty assignment report, “Call Kurtis Investigates: Looking out for the Little Guy.” Schrader is an investigative and consumer news producer at KOVR-TV, the CBS affiliate in Sacramento.

Callie Schweitzer (B.A. Print and Digital Journalism ’11) is director of marketing and special projects at Vox Media, the parent company of the websites SB Nation and The Verge. She previously was deputy publisher at Talking Points Memo.

Tala Esguerra (M.C.M. Communication Management ’12) is an account specialist at Consensus, Previously, Esguerra worked as a marketing intern for the nonprofit organization Stand up to Cancer at the Robertson Schwartz Agency and interned for the International Justice Mission in Washington, D.C. Matt Leland (B.A. Broadcast and Digital Journalism ’12) is a team broadcaster for the El Paso Diablos baseball team. While at USC, Leland worked as a reporter, web supervisor and sports producer for Annenberg TV News.

Aashna Moitra (M.A. Strategic Public Relations ’12) was recently hired as an account executive at 3d Public Relations and Marketing. While at USC, she worked as a graduate student assistant with USC Annenberg Alumni Relations.

Three join USC Annenberg Board Paul Bricault is the founder of Amplify.LA, a digital media accelerator in Los Angeles that launched in December 2011 and has funded 14 companies. He is also a venture partner at Greycroft Partners in the firm’s West Coast office, sits on the board of directors of Livefyre and is an adjunct professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Bricault holds an M.A. in communication management from USC Annenberg and earned his bachelor’s degree in English literature and international relations from the University of Western Ontario, Canada.

William (“Bill”) Elkus is the founder and a managing director of Clearstone Venture Partners.

Clearstone provides venture capital for technology innovators, such as segment-leading companies like PayPal, Overture, Rubicon Project and AOptix, and has operations in Santa Monica, Palo Alto and Bangalore. Elkus was recognized as one of the top venture capitalists in the United States

by Forbes Magazine in its annual “Midas List” on three separate occasions. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MIT and he earned his J.D. at Harvard Law School. Elkus’ daughter, Sophie, is a print and digital journalism major at USC Annenberg.

Toni Erickson Knight is founder and CEO of WorldLink, one of the world’s leading multiplatform advertising sales firms, specializing in direct response advertising.

WorldLink has offices in L.A. and New York, and handles 200-plus companies throughout the world. She serves on the board of directors of the Hollywood Radio & Television Society and the Electronic Retailing Association, is a member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and was honored by the National Association of Women Business Owners’ Los Angeles Chapter in 2004 as Business Leader of the Year.

Knight holds a B.A. in broadcast journalism from USC Annenberg.

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In these uncertain times, consider the benefits of a charitable gift annuity from USC: • Income: Annuity payments for life for you or a loved one—possibly yielding higher income than the gifted asset is currently earning for you • An immediate charitable deduction and potential for additional tax savings • Security: Regulated by the state of California and backed by USC’s assets • Support USC: The chance to take part in The Campaign for USC with a gift for a university program that’s important to you The experts in the

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How It Works: In exchange for a gift of $25,000 or more, USC will pay you (and/or another named beneficiary) a fixed annuity every year for life, no matter how long you or the other beneficiaries may live. The annuity rate is determined by the age of the beneficiaries at the time of the gift. USC invests your gift as a reserve, and upon your death (or the death of the surviving beneficiary) the remaining funds pass to the university to be used for the program or purposes that you designate.