October Events

I will be speaking at two conferences in October.

On Friday, October 1, I will be speaking at the 2010 Midwest Popular Culture Association/Midwest American Culture Association Conference. I will be expanding upon my book chapter on the role of protest music during the Vietnam War era. The conference will take place at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in South Minneapolis.

Later in the month, I will take part in a panel presentation at the New York State Communication Association 68th Annual Conference at Honor’s Haven Resort and Spa in Ellenville, N.Y. My panel, scheduled for Saturday, October 23,will explore various facets of rhetoric.

We Learned the Wrong Lesson from the JFK-Nixon Debates

With summer officially behind us, the fall campaign season is shifting into high gear. Over the next few weeks, in addition to the usual flurry of political ads, rallies and newspaper stories, we also will have an opportunity to see candidates square off against their opponents in campaign debates.

But how much do debates really tell us about how well a candidate will perform in office?

A New Direction for Spin

In today’s media environment, most major news stories are accompanied by healthy doses of spin.

This week, BP issued a 193-page report that attempts to shift much of the blame for the world’s biggest offshore spill to two other companies. Last month in New Jersey, when the state lost out on $400 million in federal education because of a clerical error on its application for the funds, Governor Christie attempted to turn the table and blame the Obama Administration for acting “like mindless drones” and not contacting state officials for the needed information.

Spin may be more prevalent today, but by no means is it new.