News In Context

The state of journalism: Election coverage, community connection, & future directions

Welcome to News in Context. I’m Gina Baleria.

In this episode, we take a closer look at journalism – in particular how news outlets covered the 2020 presidential campaign and local and national elections, including the candidates and communities. What worked? Where were journalists challenged? and where does the field of journalism go from here?

My guests are:

Martin G. Reynolds, Co-executive director of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education

Lila LaHood, publisher of the San Francisco Public Press; and a board member of the Society of Professional Journalists Northern California Chapter.

Remote Learning During COVID-19, Pt.2

In this episode, we talk with four college students from and/or attending school in the Bay Area - all of them taking classes right now online.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the majority of schools across the country to move classes online – both K-12 and higher ed. The goal is to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in colleges, where students may come to the college from another community and return to their home community for holidays or other visits – risking the spread of viral infection.

But, online learning has taken its toll on many students, instructors, and families. Many students report feeling depressed, isolated, anxious, overwhelmed, detached, or unable to focus. Some students have taken a break from their studies, and others are struggling to keep up with what feels like an increased workload and decreased engagement in their classes.

Joining me in this episode to talk about their experiences with online learning are college students:

Sarah Glasser, a junior at Santa Clara University, majoring in sociology with a minor in ethnic studies.

Aisha Glenn, a San Francisco resident who is now a junior at McGill University in Canada, majoring in Labor Relations and double minoring in sociology and health geography.

Emma Molloy, who is currently studying communications at Santa Rosa Junior College but considering changing her major to journalism. She is a staff writer for the SRJC Oak Leaf newspaper.

And Nick Vides, majoring in journalism & political science at Santa Rosa Junior College and current Editor-in-Chief of the Oak Leaf.

Remote Learning During COVID-19, FULL

In this episode, we talk with four college students from and/or attending school in the Bay Area - all of them taking classes right now online.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the majority of schools across the country to move classes online – both K-12 and higher ed. The goal is to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in colleges, where students may come to the college from another community and return to their home community for holidays or other visits – risking the spread of viral infection.

But, online learning has taken its toll on many students, instructors, and families. Many students report feeling depressed, isolated, anxious, overwhelmed, detached, or unable to focus. Some students have taken a break from their studies, and others are struggling to keep up with what feels like an increased workload and decreased engagement in their classes.

Joining me in this episode to talk about their experiences with online learning are college students:

Sarah Glasser, a junior at Santa Clara University, majoring in sociology with a minor in ethnic studies.

Aisha Glenn, a San Francisco resident who is now a junior at McGill University in Canada, majoring in Labor Relations and double minoring in sociology and health geography.

Emma Molloy, who is currently studying communications at Santa Rosa Junior College but considering changing her major to journalism. She is a staff writer for the SRJC Oak Leaf newspaper.

And Nick Vides, majoring in journalism & political science at Santa Rosa Junior College and current Editor-in-Chief of the Oak Leaf.

Remote Learning During COVID-19, Pt. 1

In this episode, we talk with four college students from and/or attending school in the Bay Area - all of them taking classes right now online.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the majority of schools across the country to move classes online – both K-12 and higher ed. The goal is to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in colleges, where students may come to the college from another community and return to their home community for holidays or other visits – risking the spread of viral infection.

But, online learning has taken its toll on many students, instructors, and families. Many students report feeling depressed, isolated, anxious, overwhelmed, detached, or unable to focus. Some students have taken a break from their studies, and others are struggling to keep up with what feels like an increased workload and decreased engagement in their classes.

Joining me in this episode to talk about their experiences with online learning are college students:

Sarah Glasser, a junior at Santa Clara University, majoring in sociology with a minor in ethnic studies.

Aisha Glenn, a San Francisco resident who is now a junior at McGill University in Canada, majoring in Labor Relations and double minoring in sociology and health geography.

Emma Molloy, who is currently studying communications at Santa Rosa Junior College but considering changing her major to journalism. She is a staff writer for the SRJC Oak Leaf newspaper.

And Nick Vides, majoring in journalism & political science at Santa Rosa Junior College and current Editor-in-Chief of the Oak Leaf.

Braver Angels & Building Community Across Divides, with John Wood, Jr.

In this episode, we talk with John Wood, Jr., national ambassador for Braver Angels, an organization also working to build relationships across the divides that fracture Americans. John discusses how Braver Angels is working to bridge the divides that fracture us and build community.

COVID-19, Contact Tracing, and a Leader's Responsibility with UCSF's Dr. Mike Reid

In this episode, we take a closer look at the response among many in the medical and public health communities to the president’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, his own diagnosis, and the national response to U.S. citizens reeling from those choices.

My guest is Dr. Mike Reid, Assistant Professor of Medicine at UCSF, and Associate Director of the Center for Global Health Diplomacy, Delivery & Economics. Mike has also been heading up San Francisco’s contact tracing efforts, and we discuss the city’s response, and his work communicating with contact tracers around the world.

The President's Tax Returns and the Priorities of U.S. Tax Policy

In this episode, we seek to make sense of the recent New York Times articles about the President’s tax returns. We also explore the U.S. tax system - in particular who benefits, who doesn’t, and how the tax code reflects and doesn’t reflect our goals and priorities.

My guests are Annette Nellen, professor in taxation at San Jose State University, and Matthew Gardner, Senior Fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

Renee Hobbs on the role of trust and empathy in media literacy

In this episode, we explore how some tenets of media literacy can be co-opted by conspiracy theorists, and how to approach media literacy education in a way that ensures students have the skills and abilities to navigate this landscape and assess information holistically.

My guest is Renee Hobbs – professor of communication studies at the Harrington School of Communication and Media at the University of Rhode Island; Director of the Media Education Lab; author of the new book, Mind Over Media: Propaganda Education in a Digital Age.

In part two of my conversation with Renee Hobbs, we explore the limitations of media literacy taught in isolation, including how it can be flipped by conspiracy theorists, as well as the importance of teaching media holistically, and hand-in-hand with things like empathy, discernment, art, and collaboration.

Conspiracy Theories & Media Literacy with Renee Hobbs

In this episode, we explore the allure and growing influence of conspiracy theories, and how they are both combated by and influenced by Media Literacy. This includes the role of conspiracy theories in our sociopolitical context, and the issues and challenges in our current marketplace of ideas - in the classroom, on social media, and in our public discourse.

My guest is Dr. Renee Hobbs, professor of communication studies at the Harrington School of Communication and Media at the University of Rhode Island, and Director of the Media Education Lab.

She is also the author of the new book, Mind Over Media: Propaganda Education in a Digital Age (W.W. Norton).  

This is part one of a two-part interview.

The Impact & Influence of Party Framing in News Coverage

In this episode, we explore the influence and impact of framing - in particular how mainstream news tends to frame national issues as gamified, two-sided face-offs -  democrat vs. republican... conservative vs. progressive… this politician vs. that politician. This can happen even when the two-sided frame is not actually relevant, and it can lead to an erosion of understanding among news audiences.

My guests are:

Dr. Regina Lawrence – Professor and Associate Dean in the School of Journalism & Communication at the University of Oregon

Dr. Amber Boydstun, Professor of Political Science with a courtesy appointment in the Communications Department at UC Davis.

California Wildfires and the Importance of Cultural Fire Management

In this episode, we explore California’s history of and relationship to fire, in particular how native populations worked with fire, and how colonizers from Europe suppressed and prohibited cultural fire management with what we now know are devastating consequences.

Over the past four years, the Golden State has battled ever more massive and destructive wildfires, prompting many to call out the importance of managing the land in a different way, and looking to native tribes for answers.

 

My guests are:

Rick O’Rourke - Member of the Yurok Tribe, traditional fire practitioner, and Fire & Fuels Coordinator and Project Coordinator for the Cultural Fire Management Council

Lenya Quinn-Davidson - Area Fire Advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension, and Director of the Northern California Prescribed Fire Council

Steve Pyne - Emeritus Professor at Arizona State University, author, and fire historian

Photo Courtesy: Ken-ichi Ueda (CC BY-NC 2.0)

California Climate:Heat, Drought, Flood, Lightning, & Fire w/ Dr. Michael Anderson

In this episode, we explore California’s dynamic and shifting climate, which impacts so much across the Bay area, region, and state, including our weather, our water, our land, our crops, our snowpack, and our air.

Just during the past few weeks, we have seen an intense heat wave and spectacular and devastating lightning storms that sparked hundreds of wildland fires all over the Bay Area and Northern California - fires so large they are among the biggest we have ever seen.

These fires have driven many of us indoors to shelter from the smoke and particulate-filled air. 

They come on the heels of California’s longest and driest drought ever recorded – from 2011-to-2019. An Economist article from August 26, 2020 points out that this drought led to the deaths of nearly 150 million trees, which have dried out and become fuel for fire.

My guest is Dr. Michael Anderson, State Climatologist with the California Department of Water Resources

Photo by: Ali Zifan (CC BY-SA 4.0) (derived from World Köppen Classification (with authors).svg)

The History, Role, & Significance of the U.S. Post Office

In this episode, we talk about the post office with Dr. Richard R. John, Professor of History & Communications in the Columbia Journalism School at Columbia University. Dr. John teaches courses on the history of communications, capitalism, and American political development - and all of these factors have played out – in part – via the post office.

The U.S. Postal Service has found itself in focus as the 2020 presidential election nears, after reports surfaced that the head of the agency had moved forward with a plan to take sorting machines offline and remove blue postal boxes, potentially jeopardizing the ability of the post office to deliver ballots from voters to the polls in time to be counted.

With Dr. John, I explore the history, role, and significance of the U.S. Post Office - and the tension between the U.S. Post Office as a service and the desire by some to treat it as a business.

Navigating Allyship

In this episode, we explore allyship - How to support black people and other people of color in the fight for equity, protection from police brutality, and to dismantle systemic racism. We also discuss how allyship can go wrong when well-meaning white people take the mantle of ally but fail to check in with black leadership or center black people.

My guests are: John Jones, III, Director of Community & Political Engagement at Just Cities; formerly incarcerated; and a single father of two.

Jocelyn Prince, Principal at ALJP Consulting; Associate Member of Beehive Dramaturgy Studio NYC; and Faculty of Theatre & Performance Studies at Northwestern University

Elz Cuya Jones, Deputy Director at the North Star Fund.

How Arts Can Help Us Re-Frame Our Perspectives

In this episode, I continue my conversation with three Bay Area theatre makers of color who are working to ensure diverse voices and stories are heard and represented… both on stage… and throughout the threatre ecosystem. We also discuss the importance of looking at the issues and challenges we face through different lenses… and how the arts can guide us.

 

My guests are Beatrice Thomas, Interdisciplinary artist… cultural strategist, and equity, diversity, and inclusion consultant with Authentic Arts & Media; Ely Sonny Orquiza, Freelance theatre maker in the Bay Area; and Nicky Martinez, Programs Coordinator for Theatre Bay Area..

 

This is Part 2 of our interview. You can hear Part 1 at News-in-context-dot-net.

The Role of Arts & Artists in Crisis

In Part 1 of this interview, we explore the role of arts during crises, as well as how arts and artists are viewed in U.S. mainstream society. We’ve faced many crises and artistic responses in recent months, including the COVID-19 pandemic; the elevation of the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others; and uncertainty in the face of tenuous economic and political outlooks. 

My guests today are Bay Area artists and theatre makers working to elevate the work of theatre arts and artists outside the mainstream, and to ensure that all voices are heard among the Bay Area theatre arts community.

Beatrice Thomas: Interdisciplinary artist, cultural strategist, and equity, diversity, and inclusion consultant, with Authentic Arts & Media

Ely Sonny Orquiza): Freelance theatre maker in the Bay Area

Brad Erickson: Executive Director of Theatre Bay Area

Nicky Martinez: Programs Coordinator for Theatre Bay Area

Ethically Covering Major Ongoing Stories w/Dr. Anita Varma, Pt. 2

In Part 2 of my interview with Dr. Anita Varma, we discuss how word choice and passive voice can infuse bias into coverage, the pros and cons of humanizing, and the importance of expanding our perspectives and seeking to answer the why. Dr. Varma is Assistant Director of Journalism & Media Ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics… at Santa Clara University. She specializes in humanization and news, as well as applying ethics in the practice of journalism and media industries.

Dr. Anita Varma on Ethically Navigating Major Ongoing News Stories

In part one, we explore how news organizations are navigating the many major ongoing stories that currently dominate our news landscape, including COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter Movement, the federal government, the election, and many others.

My guest is Dr. Anita Varma, Assistant Director of Journalism & Media Ethics At the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.

Dr. Varma specializes in humanization and news, as well as applying ethics in the practice of journalism and media industries. We explore how sourcing, framing, resources, and bias influence media coverage, and how journalists might address these challenges.

Courageous Conversations with Reverend Zina Jacque & Jessica Green

In this episode we explore how one community is working to have the hard conversations growing out of this moment. As protesters push for reforms to police practices and funding… and seek to reframe and call out the false or sanitized narratives that have underpinned mainstream views of U-S history… many in the U-S struggle to come to terms with what they know and what they’re seeing.

Zina Jacque & Jessica Green co-host a project called Courageous Conversations in a small town in Illinois. Zina is Reverend at Community Church of Barrington… where the conversations take place.

 

The goal of Courageous Conversations is to have people in the community connect and relate across differences… and tackle challenging community issues.

 

Photo by: Linda Barrett

Marnita's Table on How to Socially Engineer Equity and Inclusion

This episode features Marnita Schroedl, CEO of Marnita’s Table, and Lauren Williams, Marnita’s Table’s Training Manager & Executive Administrator. Marnita’s Table has been working in the communities in and around Minneapolis, Minnesota, where community members are dealing with the police killing of George Floyd. Marnita's Table also works with communities across the country and around the world to authentically connect people across difference, challenge people to have honest conversations, and achieve equity.