Top Story
| Facebook Says You 'Own' All the Data You Post. Not Even Close, Say Privacy Experts |
| AU communications professors talked with news media following reports that Facebook allowed third-party groups to access user data. Professor of Communication Kathryn Montgomery spoke to Los Angeles Times about government regulation. Montgomery said, “There are simply no constraints. These corporations can do with our data whatever they please, without telling us.” Aram Sinnreich, professor of communication, wrote a letter to the editor of USA Today detailing his reasons for deleting his Facebook account. (3/19, 3/21) |
Additional Feature
| Trump's Presidency Has Prompted a Nationwide College Course on Why Democracies Collapse |
| Washington Post Magazine featured American University as one of 10 universities in the United States to offer a college course analyzing the collapse of democracies. Cathy Schneider, professor in the School of International Service, teaches the course. One of the students commented that the course allows students to make sense of “whether Trump really does represent an authoritarian threat to liberal democracy or whether he's just an illiberal politician.” (3/20) |
Faculty Author
| Don't Expect the Mueller Investigation to End Anytime Soon |
| Distinguished Professor of History Allan Lichtman authored an opinion piece for Vice Magazine about the Mueller investigation. Lichtman wrote, “While Trump and his allies no doubt want the Mueller investigation to wrap up soon, it's likely that we're in the middle of the story, not near the end of it.” (3/21) |
Expertise
| Extensive Data Shows Punishing Reach of Racism for Black Boys |
| Director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center Ibram X. Kendi spoke to The New York Times about a new study that revealed that affluent black males earn less in adulthood than white males of similar backgrounds. Kendi said, “One of the most popular liberal post-racial ideas is the idea that the fundamental problem is class and not race, and clearly this study explodes that idea.” The story ran in over 65 outlets, including the Philadelphia Tribune and Salon magazine. Kendi also spoke to Mic.com and USA Today about perceptions of race in America. (3/19, 3/16) |
| And Now, the Nancy Pelosi Drama |
| David Barker, professor of public affairs, spoke to The New York Times about Republican attitudes towards Nancy Pelosi. Barker said the portrayal of Pelosi as an uber-villain “may be unique, historically speaking.” (3/16) |
| White House Turnover: The Appeal and the Risks for Trump |
| Chris Edelson, professor of public affairs, spoke to The Christian Science Monitor about the high turnover rate in the Trump administration. Edelson said that the reshuffling reflects how Trump has managed his business and noted, “The lesson he probably takes from his life is, what I have done has worked out. But it has been a near miss.” (3/16) |
| Drive for Uber? Deliver for Amazon? Here Are the Tax Rules to Know |
| Caroline Brucker, managing director of the Kogod Tax Policy Center, spoke to USA Today about tax rules gig economy workers should know. Bruckner said, “Most gig workers on average earn well below $20,000 and as a result, aren't getting any form of 1099-K and don't realize that they even owe taxes on the income they earned.” The piece ran in over 30 outlets, including Chicago Tribune and MSN Money. (3/17) |
| Can the Trans-Atlantic Relationship Survive Donald Trump? |
| Michelle Egan, professor in the School of International Service, spoke to Deutsche-Welle about the fate of the Trans-Atlantic partnership. Egan said, “What I think is that the genie is out of the bottle… people are articulating positions of nationalism and protectionism in the United States and now they have Trump who is their voice.” (3/22) |
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