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The Power of Narrative: The Rebirth of Storytelling

Rebecca Loya — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:00:37 +0000

This weekend, Pulitzer Prize winners and best-selling authors will convene here at BU for the Journalism Department‘s annual conference, The Power of Narrative: The Rebirth of Storytelling. There, some of the nation’s most celebrated writers will discuss the art and future of narrative nonfiction.

2011 speakers include:

Jill Abramson, Managing Editor, The New York Times
Kate Medina, Executive Editor, Random House
Susan Orlean, Author, The Orchid Thief
Hampton Sides, Author, Hellhound on His Trail
Douglas Starr, Author, The Killer of Little Shepherds; Professor, College of Communication
Gay Talese, Journalist & Author
Isabel Wilkerson, Author, The Warmth of Other Suns; Professor, College of Communication
And many more…

The conference takes place today and tomorrow in the Kenmore Classroom Building. For registration information and a complete schedule of conference events visit here.

Isabel Wilkerson discusses “The Warmth of Other Suns” today

Lauren Davalla — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:00:04 +0000

COM will host Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, noted author and BU Visiting Professor of Journalism Isabel Wilkerson to discuss her latest book The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration today at 4:30 PM at the Photonics Center. The event will be moderated by John Stauffer, Chairman of the American Civilization Program and Professor of English and African and African-American Studies at Harvard University, and will include a book reading, reception and book signing. The event is free and open to the public.

WikiLeaks and classified information

Dick Taffe — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:22:40 +0000

The massive unauthorized leak by WikiLeaks to three newspapers, including The New York Times, of 91,000 classified documents related to the war in Afghanistan may cause a reassessment of the war effort by the Obama administration. It already has shown how times have changed in the Internet age since the leak of the Pentagon Papers by government insider Daniel Ellsberg in the ’70s. College of Communication Dean Tom Fiedler, a former executive editor of the Miami Herald, says in a BU Today interview that the source of such a leak is less important than the vigilance of the newspaper publishing it.

“When a mainstream news organization gets information, the organization doesn’t say, ‘Are you a good person?’ The organization says, ‘Is that information verifiable?’ It doesn’t matter who WikiLeaks is.”

Contact Tom Fiedler, 617-353-3488, tfiedler@bu.edu

Secret U.S. military ops in MidEast

Dick Taffe — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:58:31 +0000

The New York Times reports that Gen. David Patraeus, the top American commander in the Middle East, has ordered a broad expansion of clandestine military activity across the region in an effort to disrupt militant groups or counter threats. International Relations Professor Joseph Wippl, director of the BU Center for International Relations and a 30-year CIA operations officer, says the U.S. Armed Forces and the CIA have always had different areas of responsibility and he presumes Defense Secretary Gates knows the boundaries.

“The problem is balancing, on the one hand, the need for tactical intelligence to defend the United States with, on the other hand, the temptation to engage needlessly with U.S. military forces.”

Contact Joseph Wippl, 617-353-8992, jwippl@bu.edu

Boston Globe sale update

Dick Taffe — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:20:13 +0000

While the New York Times has finally confirmed the Boston Globe is for sale, Times executives now say they’re in no hurry to sell now that the Globe‘s finances have improved with big union give-backs. Meantime, the Globe says it soon will charge money to see its Website, Boston.com, and a third bidder for the Globe itself has emerged. Journalism Department chairman Professor Lou Ureneck can sort through the moving parts of the Boston Globe drama.

Contact Lou Ureneck, 617-353-4095, lureneck@bu.edu

NYT earnings good industry sign

Dick Taffe — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:58:45 +0000

Despite plunging ad revenue, The New York Times Company reports a surprising 85-percent increase in 2Q profits. Professor Lou Ureneck, the Journalism Department chair and former Philadelphia Inquirer deputy editor, says the numbers bode well for an industry recovery.

“It’s too early to end the alarm over newspaper earnings, but it seems to indicate that newspaper publishers have mostly gotten control of the downward spiraling plane through serious cost controls.”

Contact Lou Ureneck, 617-353-4095, lureneck@bu.edu

What next at the Globe?

Dick Taffe — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:43:42 +0000

With the Boston Globe‘s largest union finally okaying a contract with $10 million in concessions, all eyes are on its owner, The New York Times, to see if it will sell New England’s largest newspaper. Professor Lou Ureneck, the BU Journalism Department chair and an authority on the business of newspapers, can offer some informed speculation.

Contact Lou Ureneck, 617-353-4095, lureneck@bu.edu

Boston Globe union vote

Dick Taffe — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:45:43 +0000

The Boston Globe’s largest union, the Boston Newspaper Guild, votes Monday on the latest contract proposal from the parent company New York Times, with a total of $10 million in savings on the line. Pulitzer-winning College of Communication Dean Tom Fiedler, a former Miami Herald executive editor, can discuss what’s at stake.

Contact Tom Fiedler, 617-353-3488, tfiedler@bu.edu

The Globe turns a corner

Dick Taffe — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:13:23 +0000

The Boston Newspaper Guild has reportedly reached a tentative agreement with Boston Globe management on a contract that cuts pay 6 percent and eliminates lifetime job guarantees. With parent company New York Times still shopping the Globe, the Guild has set a contract ratification date of July 20. College of Communication Associate Dean Tobe Berkovitz can discuss the situation.

Contact Tobe Berkovitz, 617-353-3447, tobetv@bu.edu

On the Globe watch

Dick Taffe — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:34:34 +0000

The Boston Globe‘s largest union meets again on Monday with management to talk about a new contract with the parent company The New York Times. The union also has set July 20th for a contract ratification vote, though there’s no contract yet to ratify. College of Communication Dean Tom Fiedler, a Pulitzer-winning former executive editor of the Miami Herald, can discuss the situation.

Contact Tom Fiedler, 617-353-3488, tfiedler@bu.edu