The election of an African-American president was hailed as a transformative event for the United States. But has Barack Obama's ascension transformed anything? Many people reconsidered that question when a famous Harvard professor was arrested at his home in Cambridge. In the aftermath of "Gates-gate," are the harsh realities of race and class clearer now or murkier? And has this polarizing event given greater visibility to racial minorities in the media's coverage of politics? How are race issues and racial politics covered in our national media, and what are the implications of the demise of major city newspapers for the coverage of race and politics?
Juan Williams of NPR and Fox News will discuss these and related questions in a candid conversation with Phillip Thompson, associate professor of urban politics in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, and David Thorburn, professor of literature and director of the Communications Forum at MIT.
This event, sponsored by the Communications Forum, the Center for Future Civic Media and the Technology and Culture Forum, is scheduled to run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, in Bartos Theater. For more information, please visit http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/.
Juan Williams of NPR and Fox News will discuss these and related questions in a candid conversation with Phillip Thompson, associate professor of urban politics in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, and David Thorburn, professor of literature and director of the Communications Forum at MIT.
This event, sponsored by the Communications Forum, the Center for Future Civic Media and the Technology and Culture Forum, is scheduled to run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, in Bartos Theater. For more information, please visit http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/.
