Category Archives: audio and video

radio interviews talking about my book

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Here are six radio or podcast discussions on my book, We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For. Most are call-in shows:

  • This is the audio of me and John Dankosky talking about my book on “Where We Live” (WNPR-Connecticut) on Oct. 25. As a bonus: at min. 26:40, hear Ralph Nader call in and say that everyone should read it.
  • On Nov. 12, I spent 30 minutes on “Topical Currents” with Joseph Cooper, Bonnie Berman and Paul Leary on WLRN in Miami. We discussed why Miami ranks so low on civic engagement. A caller advocated for mandatory voting. My favorite part was when they played Sweet Honey in the Rock’s version of “We Are the Ones ….” They asked, “Professor, was that the inspiration for your book?” Yes, indeed.
  • Here is the audio of my hour-long conversation on Nov. 5 with Kathleen Dunn on Wisconsin Public Radio. This one got quite a few callers, but I thought the conversation got a little vague–my fault. One interesting question was about polarization, and the premise was that liberals are mainly responsible because they all rally around “their” president.
  • This is the audio of my conversation with John Gambling, a self-described moderate conservative radio host on WOR in New York City. His main topic was civic education, but he also asked about my book. He seemed to like the idea that civil discourse is an important aspect of civics in schools–he aims for civility on his radio show.
  • This is an audio podcast of me talking with Frank LoMonte, Executive Director of The Student Press Law Center. He asked me about my book while interviewing me about free speech in schools.
  • Jack Russell Weinstein interviews philosophers for Prairie Public Radio. Here I am on his show “Why? Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life”–again, talking about the book. This is the most reflective conversation, and we talked about the flawed constitutional structure of the US as well as ordinary civic engagement. Jack told an interesting story about opposing a local development project that the city’s leaders favored–and they were right. That was an opportunity to discuss the value of expertise and also the need to update our methods for discussing issues with political leaders.

talking about talking about controversial issues, on talk radio

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This is the audio of my conversation yesterday with John Gambling, a self-described moderate conservative radio host on WOR in New York City. Gambling is concerned about civic education in schools, by which he primarily means teaching students to understand and appreciate the Constitution. I said that students must also learn to discuss current issues with civility and good information. He seemed to agree on the grounds that (1) he is a civil and substantive person who talks about issues on the air, and (2) political correctness is at fault for blocking good conversations in schools.

I would agree that Gambling is a good participant in public debate, even though he and I would probably vote for different candidates and policies in many cases. One way you can tell is that Gambling invites a wide range of guests onto his show and lets them talk, in marked contrast to people like Rush Limbaugh, who dominate with their own views.

I also share his concern about political correctness, as long as we define that right. According to CIRCLE’s recent survey for the Commission on Youth Voting and Civic Knowledge , about one quarter of high school American government teachers believe that parents would object if political issues were discussed in their classes. That resistance has a chilling effect, the teachers told it. It discourages them from talking about current events.

Some of the pushback probably comes from conservative parents who don’t want their kids talking about sex or race, or who worry that teachers (unionized public employees) may expose their children to views they disagree with. But the resistance also comes from the left. I have talked to parents in northeastern urban districts–people I am sure vote liberal–who explicitly resist discussions of controversial current issues in their kids’ schools. I think John Gambling and I agreed that this is wrong.

unemployment and civic engagement: the video

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(Bloomington, IN) This video shows former White House Domestic Policy Council director John Bridgeland, Federal Reserve Governor Sarah Bloom Raskin, Knight Foundation Vice President Paula Ellis, Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Wendy Spencer, and me discussing the new report Civic Health and Unemployment II: The Case Builds. This was at the National Conference on Citizenship in Philadelphia on Sept. 14. Wendy Spencer says:

I just had an epiphany listening to Kei [Kawashima-Ginsberg, CIRCLE’s lead researcher] talk, while I was sitting there, about what I would like to do if I had a magic wand. I would take this report, tonight, and send out couriers to read it aloud to every mayor in America, aloud for emphasis. Because if I am I mayor, and I am looking at this, I’m thinking: OK, this actually is going to help my community strengthen.

a panel on civic education

This National Conference on Citizenship’s “Civic Innovators Forum” was held in Philadelphia on September 15, 2011. It was co-sponsored by the Case Foundation and Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement and held at the National Constitution Center. This video presents the panel about the new Guardian of Democracy report. The opening comments are by Michael Weiser, chair of NCoC, and Mabel McKinney-Browning, chair of the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools. Panelists are me, Brian Brady of the Mikva Challenge, Kathleen Hall Jamieson of Annenberg Public Policy Center, and Mabel McKinney-Browning. The moderator is John Bridgeland of Civic Enterprises.

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reform the university to meet the public’s knowledge needs in an age of information overload

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In this ten-minute video (from the Tisch College Tenth Anniversary celebration), I argue: 1) there is just too much information available for citizens to digest; 2) in order for the public to engage with information, we need appropriate institutions; 3) the institutions that formerly played that role, especially metropolitan daily newspapers, are in desperate condition; so 4) we need to rethink the communications function of the university.

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