Annenberg dean criticizes media

Annenberg School for Communication Dean Kathleen Hall Jamieson called on politicians and journalists alike to separate political infighting from an honest discussion of national issues during a speech yesterday at the Rittenhouse Hotel. In an address to the 47th annual meeting of the Association of Graduate Schools, Jamieson delivered a stinging criticism of the modern media and offered suggestions for improving it. "The press needs to cover issues more than political strategy," Jamieson said. As part of her presentation, Jamieson played video clips from a recent debate between House Speaker Newt Gingrich , R-Ga., and President Clinton that "more closely followed the American ideal of political discourse." In the debate, she said, the two politicians seemed to concentrate more on issues than on their personal disagreements, and even managed to find areas of agreement. She said most press coverage of the event, however, painted it as a ploy for personal political gain. "The press was unable to report this encounter accurately," Jamieson said. "When confronted with substance, they didn't have a clue as to what the alternative frame of reference would be." Jamieson offered several measures to reform the current media structure. In particular, she advocated the adoption of the "Minnesota Compact" as a possible step toward what she called "civic journalism." The proposal calls on politicians to campaign differently and to engage in more honest political debate, while urging journalists to cover political events with a less cynical eye. Jamieson herself will be travelling to Minnesota in November to help garner support for this plan. The dean's speech coincided with the last day of the Association of Graduate Schools conference. Other speakers over the course of the three-day meeting included Representative Robert Walker, R-Pa., chairman of the House Committee on Science, Cornelius Pings, president of the Association of American Universities, and Penn Classical Studies Professor James O'Donnell. Discussions at the conference ranged from federal funding for education to new initiatives for an electronic classroom on the Internet, according to Janice Madden, vice provost for graduate education, who helped organize the event. This was the first time in the 47-year history of the Association that its annual conference was held at the University. Madden expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting. "I felt it went very well," she said. "Dean Jamieson and Professor O'Donnell were fine representatives of the University." The conference is scheduled to be held at the University of California-Berkeley next year.