USC Annenberg Center - CCLP

At Penn Annenberg’s recent panel discussion “Does America Need a Landslide?”, experts explored the feasibility of a landslide victory in today’s polarized political landscape. Historically, figures like FDR, Nixon, and Reagan achieved landslide wins with around 60% of the popular vote, but such outcomes seem improbable now. As the 2024 election approaches, the panel underscored that effective leadership can still drive progress even in tight contests.

At the 10am Annenberg Roundtable session, Harry Litman - host of the “Talking Feds” podcast, CCLP Senior Fellow, and senior legal affairs columnist for the LA Times - analyzed Kamala Harris’s tenure as a California prosecutor.

In his discussion with CCLP Director Geoffrey Cowan, Litman explored how Harris’s campaign emphasizes her prosecutorial background, while the Trump campaign may critique her record. Litman characterized her approach as balanced—tough on crime with notable progressive reforms, including opposition to cash bail and the death penalty.

Our 9am roundtable, “Gen Z and the 2024 Election,” showcased the influence of America’s youngest voters.

Moderated by Jim Steyer, the panel included:
• John Della Volpe, Author of Fight: How Gen Z is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America
• David Hogg, Founder of Leaders We Deserve and Co-Founder of March for Our Lives
• Michael Tubbs, Former Mayor of Stockton

John Della Volpe emphasized Gen Z’s critical role in the 2020 election, contributing to key state flips. David Hogg highlighted how Gen Z’s activism, notably after Parkland, has led to significant policy changes. Michael Tubbs praised Gen Z’s proactive approach to solving issues. The discussion underscored the necessity of engaging Gen Z effectively for the 2024 elections, emphasizing authentic messaging and the power of youthful optimism.

Our lunchtime discussion featuring Katherine Spillar (Executive Editor of Ms., Executive Director at Feminist Majority Foundation), Celinda Lake (President of Lake Research Partners), and Marjorie Margolies (Founding President of Women’s Campaign International) outlined how polling data is shaping Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 strategy. Our panelists highlighted that winning women’s votes is crucial, with polling showing a significant gender gap driven partly by Harris’s stance on abortion rights.

Our 10am roundtable discussion, presented by Common Sense Media, underscored the significant influence of family agendas and the emerging power of youth, which may exceed conventional political expectations. The panel featured distinguished speakers:

• Jim Steyer: Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media
• Rosario Dawson: Actress and Political Activist
• John Della Volpe: Author of Fight: How Gen Z is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America

The discussion illuminated the need for young people to acknowledge their political impact and pursue leadership roles. Our panelists also commended the current administration for engaging young content creators, facilitating their involvement in political discourse, and fostering future leadership.

At the “Two Parties? Four Parties? Intraparty Dissent in 2024” panel, the debate over what it means to be a Democrat today took center stage. Moderated by Craig Snyder, the discussion built on the themes from the RNC to explore the deep divisions within the political parties.

Panelists:

• Lauren Harper Pope: Co-Founder of WelcomePAC
• Patrick Murphy: Former Congressman & 32nd US Under Secretary of the Army
• Craig Snyder: Founder & CEO of Indigo Global, Lecturer at Penn Annenberg

The conversation covered a spectrum of hot-button issues, including climate change, abortion rights, and equality vs. equity. The conversation suggests America might not just have two parties but four, reflecting a complex landscape of ideological diversity. With the presidential election just around the corner, our panelists highlight the importance of values-driven conversations and embracing nuance.

We are pleased to share highlights from our panel on “Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting,” featuring Michael Abramowitz, Geoffrey Cowan, Kerry Kennedy, and Kristin Kane. Our panelists provided in-depth reflections on:

• The ways in which public diplomacy shapes global relations and communications;
• The impact of advocacy and human rights on global perceptions;
• Innovative approaches to international broadcasting.

Our recent panel discussion, “Why History Matters,” was a profound exploration into the significance of historical understanding in our contemporary world. We extend our gratitude to Douglas Brinkley, Geoffrey Cowan, Kerry Kennedy, and David Hume Kennerly for their compelling stories and insights.

We are grateful to our distinguished panelists - Jude Meche, Erik Nisbet, Michael Posner, and Adam Clayton Powell III - for their thought-provoking contributions to our discussion on “Fake Videos and Election Cybersecurity in the Age of AI.” From tacking the rise of deepfakes to securing the electoral systems, our experts shared illuminating and timely strategies to navigate these challenges and to fortify electoral integrity.

The USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, in partnership with the Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania, and in collaboration with POLITICO, Ms. Magazine, and Common Sense Media, presents four days of open discussions on important domestic and international issues at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. RSVP by clicking the link in our bio or by going to http://communicationleadership.usc.edu/events/dnc-2024/.

Scheduled from Monday, August 19 to Thursday, August 22, these roundtable discussions will feature leading journalists, international figures, historians, and notable political, social, and academic decision-makers. Inspired by the vision of Walter and Leonore Annenberg, the Annenberg Schools have held discussions on politics, media, and society at the national political conventions since 2000 in addition to one or both schools taking students for experiential learning.

Confirmed participants and guests to date include former Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner; Northwestern University Communication Professor Erik Nisbet; historian Douglas Brinkley; photographer David Hume Kennerly; historian Byron Shafer; former NPR President John Lansing; VOA Director Michael Abramowitz; RFK Human Rights President Kerry Kennedy; former CSPAN anchor and current Sirius XM host Steve Scully; CNN Anchor Jake Tapper; Chicago Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet; New York Times reporter Jennifer Medina; Univision TV anchor Jorge Ramos; Univision Director of Polling & Data Sergio García-Rios, Ms. Magazine Editor Katherine Spillar; Georgetown Law School Professor Michele Goodwin; NYU Law School Professor Jennifer Weiss-Wolf; political strategist Celinda Lake; Common Sense Media President Jim Steyer; former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs; Leaders We Deserve Founder David Hogg; actress and activist Rosario Dawson; social media expert Annie Wu; Harvard polling expert John Della Volpe; and Los Angeles Times legal columnist Harry Litman.

CCLP, in partnership with the Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania, and in collaboration with POLITICO, presents three days of open discussions on important domestic and international issues at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. RSVP: https://communicationleadership.usc.edu/events/rnc-2024/.

Scheduled from Tuesday, July 16 to Thursday, July 18, these roundtable discussions will feature leading journalists, international figures, historians, and notable political, social, and academic decision-makers. Inspired by the vision of Walter and Leonore Annenberg, the Annenberg Schools have held discussions on politics, media, and society at the national political conventions since 2000 in addition to one or both schools taking students for experiential learning.

Confirmed guests to date include Washington Post associate editor and national political columnist Karen Tumulty, host of The Record on Newsmax Greta Van Susteren, CNN political analyst and Republican strategist David Urban, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel state politics reporter Jessie Opoien, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer David Hume Kennerly, former NPR president John Lansing, and former Congressman and presidential candidate Joe Walsh.

Join us online or in Washington, DC for the launch of a new dialogue series on The Future of Africa’s Health. Our first event, on Monday, June 24, at 6:00 am PDT/9:00 am ET, will feature national and regional perspectives from sub-Saharan Africa on the future of international population and development policy.

On the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), we will hear from diverse experts from across the continent about what the next 30 years of the ICPD means for the continent, regional priorities for the future of reproductive and sexual health and rights, and what emerged from the 57th Commission on Population and Development.

This convening marks the beginning of a partnership between the Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy’s Africa-U.S. Forum and the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health, which is co-creating this program. The monthly Africa-U.S. forums are presented with George Washington University, Howard University, the University of the Witwatersrand (in Johannesburg), and the Public Diplomacy Council of America.

RSVP here: tinyurl.com/AfricaUSforum

Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, The George Washington University, Howard University, Wits - University of the Witwatersrand, The Public Diplomacy Council of America, USC Annenberg Center - CCLP, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at USC

CCLP Director Geoffrey Cowan's latest commentary appeared in Politico Magazine yesterday. The piece compares the 2024 primary cycle, where both major parties have all but selected their presidential nominees by the end of January, to the 1968 primary cycle, where major candidate Sen. Robert Kennedy did not even declare until March 16.

The Real Reason We’re Stuck with Trump v. Biden There’s more than one thing wrong with the U.S. primary system.

Join in next Tuesday as CRCC Journalism Fellow, Diane Winston discusses her book, Righting the American Dream.

Tuesday, Nov. 14th 12-1pm

Marc Ambinder is Tiktok’s Elections, Misinformation and Disinformation Policy Lead and an instructor at USC. He founded the Annenberg Digital Security Initiative, providing advanced digital security training to student reporters, and developed USC’s Election Cybersecurity Initiative counter-disinformation curriculum. He’s been a television producer, White House correspondent, and editor at ABC, CBS, and The Atlantic. He also consulted on Facebook/WhatsApp’s endpoint encryption roll-out. His latest book, “The Brink: President Reagan and the Nuclear War Scare of 1983,” recounts stories of the Cold War era’s tense diplomacy. Marc holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard and was awarded a DuPont silver baton by Columbia University. Learn more about Marc at the link in bio.

The Talking Books podcast series stopped by CCLP yesterday with host Harry Litman and guests Peter Baker and Susan Glasser!

Jessica Yellin is the founder News Not Noise, an independent digital media brand dedicated to informing social media audiences. She is the former chief White House correspondent for CNN and an Emmy and Gracie award-winning political journalist reporting for CNN, ABC News and MSNBC. Yellin has covered Capitol Hill, domestic politics, state and national elections, the culture wars and issues facing women in the workplace. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Details, Entertainment Weekly, the Los Angeles Times, and The Atlantic. Learn more about Jessica at the link in bio.

Kirk Wallace Johnson founded the List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies after serving with U.S. USAID in Baghdad and then Fallujah as the Agency’s first coordinator for reconstruction. In addition to being an Oprah endorsed bestselling author, he has written for the New Yorker, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post, among others. He has helped over 2,000 US-affiliated Iraqis find refuge in America, and his work has been featured on 60 Minutes, This American Life. Learn more about Kirk at the link in bio.

We are honored to have Admiral Mullen speaking on campus today. To find out about future events like this one, visit the link in our bio!

Dorothy Gilliam was The Washington Post’s first African-American female reporter and is the creator of the Young Journalists Development Program. The former president of the National Association of Black Journalists was also honored as the J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Fellow at The George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by The Washington Press Club in 2010. Her newest book; Trailblazer; ‘A Pioneering Journalist’s Fight to Make the Media Look More Like America’ was released in 2019.
Learn more about Dorothy at the link in bio.

CCLP has an incredible group of Senior Fellows. Check in each Monday to see one featured here. And as always, a full list of Fellows can be found at the link in our bio.

See the world-premiere performance of a new ballet honoring American music icon, and mother of Senior Fellow Adam Clayton Powell III, Hazel Scott!

Dance Theatre of Harlem The illustrious DTH opens our 2022/23 Season with the world premiere performances of a new ballet honoring American music icon Hazel Scott.

Check out CCLP Director Geoffrey Cowan's latest article in Politico:

Opinion | Our Secret Weapon Against Putin Isn’t So Secret We already know a lot about how to break through the Kremlin’s wall of silence.

Check out our Fall 2021 Newsletter! https://mailchi.mp/3c5a84c5fb80/cclp-fall-2021-newsletter

CCLP Fall 2021 Newsletter Senior Fellow Dan Schnur is helping CCLP explore ways to build on the closely related work of the nonpartisan Voter Communication Task Force, which was created in 2020 to help provide eligible voters with reliable information about where, when, and how to register and vote.