Patt Morrison schedule for Monday, July 21, 2012

1:06 – 1:19

OPEN

 

 

1:21 – 1:39

Crowdsourcing breaking news, is social media the future newsroom?

The quickest reports from the scene of the tragic shooting in Aurora, Colorado didn’t come from the police or traditional media; they instead came from social sites like Twitter and Reddit. Reddit quickly became a go-to spot for wide-ranging information about the shooting, from a comprehensive timeline of police activity to posts from people who were in the movie theater. One person on Reddit who claimed to be at the movie theater even uploaded pictures of a bullet wound and bloody T-shirt from the incident. It wasn’t social media’s first foray into journalism this month, Twitter and Reddit was also a comprehensive source for a shooting at a block party in Scarborough, Ontario. Is social media better equipped to handle breaking news in the era of budget cuts in journalism?

 

Guests:

UNCONFIRMED

Andrew Beaujon, reporter for Poytner Institute

 

Matthew Ingram, senior writer for GigaOM

 

 

1:41:30 – 1:58:30

Ken Burns takes on the American Dust Bowl [ON TAPE]

When it comes to documentary filmmaking, there are two eras: BKB and AKB. That would be “before” and “after” Ken Burns. Burns revolutionized the form through his attention to detail, his use of music, and his sweeping pans that gave motion to still photographs (hence the Ken Burns effect in Apple’s iPhoto slideshow toolkit). Burns has a special penchant for Americana – his first documentary was on the Brooklyn Bridge and subsequently he has covered the Civil War, jazz, baseball, and the country’s National Park system. Burn’s latest documentary on the American Dust Bowl will air in November on PBS. He came to Los Angeles to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the Dust Bowl’s poet laureate, Woody Guthrie, and stopped by to talk with Patt about his newest project.

 

Guest:

 

Ken Burns, filmmaker

 

2:06 – 2:30

Olympic security firm GS4 remains short on manpower

With an extra 4.6 million overseas visitors expected in London for the Olympics, it should come as no surprise that the city is in a panic over the fact that the firm tapped to provide its security has less than half of the number of staff it originally promised to deliver. GS4 won a contract worth 284 millions pounds after promising to deliver 13,700 guards; as of Friday, the firm has only confirmed hiring a total of 4,000 people. On Thursday, GS4 sent out a Hail Mary request to the National Association of Retired Police Officers stating that it is “currently and urgently recruiting for extra support for the Olympics.” Both the Guardian and the Daily Mail have also reported concerns over the quality of training that the 4,000 confirmed employees received.

 

Guest:

TBD

 

2:30-2:40

Ralph Lauren chooses to have its new US Olympic uniforms manufactured in China
“Meh.” That’s been the general reaction of fashion moguls to Ralph Lauren’s reboot of the U.S. Olympic uniforms. “What else did we expect from all-American Ralph Lauren, beyond some preppy gold-buttoned blazers and plenty of Hamptons white,” wrote a style blogger at the Washington Post. Apparently, some expected Ralph Lauren to buck the general clothing industry trend towards manufacturing out of the country. Instead, the designer went with China, causing furor on both sides of the political aisle. Democratic Senator Harry Reid demanded that the clothes be burned (which some protestors have taken action on), while Republican Representative John Boehner stated that Ralph Lauren “should have known better.” The company promised to have the 2014 uniforms manufactured in house, but that didn’t stop multiple senators from crafting legislation that would turn the promise into a guarantee— the "Team USA Made in America Act” requires that future Olympic uniforms be made in the U.S. and the U.S. alone. Is Ralph Lauren’s decision worth the upset? Is it time for the United States to be less concerned about the fact that its lower-wage manufacturing jobs are migrating, especially given the fact that we’re holding on to advanced manufacturing jobs? Or is the Chinese-made uniform a symbolic slap in the face with real consequences?

Guest:
Dana Thomas, contributing editor for the Wall Street Journal and author of “Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster”

 

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

George Lakoff and Elisabeth Wehling offer Democrats guidance in ‘The Little Blue Book’

As voters prepare to elect the next president of the United States later this year, the political atmosphere across the country is becoming more polarized than usual. In such a partisan environment, some Democratic party members struggle to articulate their positions on hot button issues including health care, taxes and community values. That is why George Lakoff, a professor of cognitive science and linguistics, and Elisabeth Wehling, a political strategist and author, have written a new book in which they offer guidance to Democrats in need of effective language to voice their ideas. The authors aim to help Democrats support their policy-based assertions with correlating moral values. Do you think that many Democrats rely on political policy to assert their ideologies too often? Should Democrats state their moral bearings more vehemently?

 

Guest:

George Lakoff, professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics at UC Berkeley; he is the author of “Don’t Think of an Elephant!” and co-author with Elisabeth Wehling of “The Little Blue Book: The Essential Guide to Thinking and Talking Democratic”