Ethiopia Wrap

I've penned an op/ed piece about my just concluded Ethiopia experience (a four month fellowship teaching peace journalism) for the Peace News Network. While you're on the PNN website, browse around a bit--it's very interesting.

Summer Reading List

 As we swing into summer, I’m reminded of the ambitious summer reading lists our teachers used to give us—dozens of mostly dull, classic books (think Moby Dick) to designed to drain the fun out of our vacation. Keeping in mind the spirit of these onerous readings, as a professor I am compelled to assign you, dear reader, some readings this summer, though I promise they won’t be dull.

First, in the wake of the latest school shooting, I’ve been thinking and reading about copycat crimes. When I team-taught a media and criminal justice class about 10 years ago, the best evidence was that copycat crimes were rare, and that the copycats had already made up their minds to commit a crime, and that, at most, coverage of a crime only gave the copycat criminal ideas about how to commit the crime (methodology). Newer evidence, in the articles below, is challenging those findings. These articles from Mother Jones and Oxford make interesting reading.

I’ve also been reading about refugees, and about how they have been empowered as storytellers. Read this excellent piece in Nieman Reports.

While you’re at it, take a look at the video reports produced in Austria by Refugee TV’s correspondents, all refugees themselves. Click on "reports" along the top. I especially love the story about Krampus. 

Happy viewing, and reading.