In Memoriam: Emeritus Professor Percy Tannenbaum

Percy Tannenbaum, formerly of Montreal, passed away on October 2, 2009 at the age of 82 in Berkeley, California. He was internationally renowned for his work in the area of social psychology. He was Director for the Center of Mass Communications Research at University of Wisconsin.

TIME's Halperin delivers "Obama Report Card" Nov. 4

Mark Halperin offered both praise and criticism for President Barack Obama’s actions in a speech Nov. 4 in Madison.

Halperin, editor-at-large and senior political analyst at TIME magazine and TIME.com, gave no letter grade but presented balanced political viewpoints as he delivered “Obama’s Report Card Thus Far.”

Halperin first addressed how he thinks Obama has been doing, noting that citizens were able to get to know Obama quickly during the presidential campaign. Halperin has been impressed with the president’s even temperament in a year of economic difficulties. He also noted Obama’s talent at managing personnel as a strength in the current term. According to Halperin, appointing people to the right positions is key.

While simply replacing George Bush boosted the United States’ global standing, Halperin said, Obama has not built necessary ties overseas. Halperin also noted that many big agenda items have been pushed aside both implicitly and explicitly because of the economic crisis. With the amount of time Obama has devoted to rebuilding the economy, he has had to focus primarily on domestic duties as president.

Still, Halperin said the biggest and most unfortunate surprise for him has been how polarized the country has remained since Obama took office, saying partisanship has become more determinative than ever. He did not place blame but said that Obama could have dealt with the divide more effectively. Halperin feels that though it may be tougher, it’s better to seek support from both parties when trying to pass a bill. He sees politics as a way to make the country better, not more divided.

After discussing Obama’s past actions, Halperin offered suggestions for the future. He thinks Obama needs to get the health care bill passed and is confident the president will do just that. He said the biggest difficulty for Obama will be to make people care about reform since people are focused on other important issues right now, like simply finding jobs. Halperin ended by saying he appreciates that Obama treats the country like adults but would love to see him get more fired up about his policies.

Following the address, Halperin answered questions from the live audience, as well as an online audience participating in the discussion through a live blog. He offered opinions on topics ranging from governmental corruption to advice for future political journalists.
Halperin’s speech was sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication for its 2009 Ralph & Monona Nafziger Lecture. A video and live blog archive of the event, covered by the J-School's student social media team, can be found at www.journalism.wisc.edu/events. 

Special advice for students

 Halperin had some surprisingly straightforward advice on Wednesday night for students aspiring to work in political journalism: learn to write—and learn to do it well.

Halperin took time out from his discussion of the Obama administration to offer advice to journalism and mass communication students hoping to pursue a career in covering politics. According to Halperin, developing strong writing skills is the most important thing students can do to prepare themselves for the political field. “Learn to write short, interesting, powerful sentences,” he said. “If you do that, I cannot tell you how far ahead you will be from everyone you are competing against.”

Halperin noted that while it is a difficult time to enter the business, media outlets that embrace changing tools and technologies will remain relevant. “I think media organizations that adapt will survive and thrive,” he said. “New media has incredible possibilities.”

But Halperin stressed that the driving force in any good journalist should still be to tell an interesting story. “If you’re creative, smart, and believe in journalism for what it’s about, in some ways it’s never been a better time [to become a journalist], because you can get in and prove yourself,” he said.