Top Story
| To Test Your Fake News Judgment, Play This Game |
| Bob Hone, professor of communication, and Maggie Farley, AU's JoLT Professional Fellow, spoke to NPR about the game “Factitious,” in which a player has to separate fake news from real news. Hone said, “We're not going to solve the fact that there are two different realities being told right now. But if there are people in the middle ... open to asking questions, I want to empower them.” More than 50 NPR affiliates nationwide ran the story and Newsweek also featured a story about “Factitious.” (7/3) |
Additional Features
| Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholar Plans to Help Detroit Business Owners |
| Black Enterprise featured Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholar Winter Brooks in a story about how the program has helped her develop a love for business and technology. Brooks said, “Coming into college, I had no idea what I wanted to study. Over time though, I became interested in the intersection of marketing and technology in order to build stronger relationships between businesses and the communities they serve.” (6/30) |
| Hangman's Noose, Symbol of Racial Animus, Keeps Cropping Up |
| Student Government Association President Taylor Dumpson spoke to the New York Times for a story about incidents of nooses in different places in the U.S., including a recent incident at the U.S. Mint. Dumpson said, “To me, a noose is lynching. That's immediately what comes to my mind, that someone is going to hang you, that someone is going to die. That's a very chilling thing.” A quote by Dumpson was also featured in a separate column by the story's reporter on why the New York Times decided to do a story about the spate of incidents involving nooses. (7/5) |
Faculty Authors
| The Civil Rights Act Was a Victory Against Racism. But Racists Also Won. |
| Director of the Anti-Racist Research and Policy Center Ibram X. Kendi authored an opinion article for the Washington Post about the legacy of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Kendi wrote, “The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was not the beginning of the end of American racism. It was the beginning of our poisonous belief that America was ending racism.” (7/2) |
| The Bible's Key Role in the American Founding |
| Daniel Dreisbach, professor of public affairs, wrote an opinion article for the Philadelphia Inquirer about the Bible's influence on the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Dreisbach wrote, “Many Americans of this generation thought Christianity and its sacred text were valuable resources for their time and predicament. And they figured prominently in the momentous events that unfolded in Philadelphia.” (7/3) |
| Distrust of Fact-Checking Is Not Restricted to the Right |
| David Barker, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, co-authored an opinion article for Vox about the American public's perception of fact-checking by the news media. Barker wrote, “Fact-checkers may have less and less influence over time, as more and more citizens encounter fact-checks that don't jibe with their preconceived notions.” (7/3) |
| Is the Trump Administration Abandoning Human Rights? |
| Sarah Snyder, professor in the School of International Service, authored an opinion article for the Washington Post about the Trump administration's approach to human rights policies. Snyder wrote, “Disavowing human rights undermines our national identity; it erodes the moral fiber that binds us together as a country and inspires those who risk their lives to defend us.” (7/2) |
Expertise
| Microsoft, Trump Administration Clash over Email Searches |
| Assistant Professor of Law Jennifer Daskal spoke to the Associated Press about the Microsoft-Trump Administration feud over an email account allegedly used for drug trafficking. Daskal said, “The technology companies wield enormous power, perhaps more than governments do, in shaping the scope of digital age privacy rights.” (7/2) |
| Trump's Recent Tweet About CNN Stirs Up Controversy |
| Margot Susca, professor of communication, spoke with Off Script on WUSA-9 about President Trump's Wrestlemania tweet. Susca said, “I think there have to be better things that will occupy his time than that.” (7/3) |
| A Year Later, Pokémon Go Has Leveled Out and Left Fans Wanting More |
| Lindsay Grace, director of AU Game Lab, spoke with NPR about the first anniversary of Pokemon Go. Speaking about the game, Grace said, “I wasn't particularly impressed. I have the benefit of working in this field for my graduate degree 10 years ago, and it is kind of disappointing how little progress has been made.” |
| Trump Faces Delicate Diplomatic Dance With Putin Meeting, on G-20 Sidelines |
| Jordan Tama, professor in the School of International Service, spoke to Fox News about President Trump's upcoming meeting with Poland's political leaders. Tama said, “Poland is a country with a government that's likeminded with Trump. They have a very conservative government that's also favored very restrictive immigration policies.” (7/4) |
| Anton Fedyashin Discusses Chinese President Xi's Trip to Russia |
| Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and History Director Anton Fedyashin appeared on CGTN to summarize President Xi Jinping's trip to Russia. Fedyashin said, “The central issue during the meeting here in Moscow will be economic cooperation. That is the most important concern for both sides.” (7/3) |
| Former 101st Airborne Soldier Hopes Trump More Open to War Crimes Pardons |
| School of Professional & Extended Studies Assistant Professor Jeffrey Crouch spoke to USA Today for a story about an ex-soldier who hopes for a pardon by Trump. Crouch said, “I would be surprised if President Trump offered clemency to anyone, for any reason, at any time in the near future.” (7/4) |
Bonus Clip
| Hip Hop in Central African Republic Brings Hope in Crisis |
| Omekongo Dibinga, professor in the School of International Service, spoke to the Associated Press about how hip-hop music can bring peace to the Central African Republic. Dibinga said, “When people are picking up the microphone, they're not picking up the guns.” (7/1) |
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