June 28, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "We've got a great young guy in his early 20s, creating music on the spot, embracing rock music as well as classical," says Eric Edberg, professor of music at DePauw University, of pianist John Kamfonas, who will perform as part of the Greencastle Summer Music Festival Wednesday. An article in the Banner-Graphic notes that Kamfonas' repertoire may range from Franz Liszt to Michael Jackson.

"Many performers of his generation find it natural to combine different genres of music in one event. They don't necessarily think of it as classical music or rock music -- it they love it, it's just good music," exclaims Edberg.

"John is one of the young 'next generation' professional musicians I went to New York on sabbatical to experience first hand," the professor adds. "He's a fabulous classical musician who just received his Master of Music degree from one of the world's great conservatories -- the Manhattan School of Music. He also improvises and plays in rock bands. His concert here in Greencastle will use all three of these skills."

Tomorrow's concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church and is presented free of admission charge.

You'll find the complete article at the newspaper's website.

Professor Edberg's work in classical music improvisation was featured in a November 28, 2008 article in the Wall Street Journal.

June 29, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Mark B. Hamilton, a 1988 graduate of DePauw University, has been appointed vice president, sales and marketing, at NIBCO Inc. The Elkhart, Indiana-based company is a worldwide manufacturer of flow control products for residential, commercial construction, industrial, and irrigation markets.

"Hamilton has more than 23 years experience in the building products industry, and most recently served as vice president - U.S. trade sales for American Standard Brands in Piscataway, N.J.," notes Contractor magazine.  "Previously, he worked for Whirlpool Corporation in Benton Harbor, MI in various sales and marketing positions."

The item points to Hamilton's degree from DePauw, where he majored in English (composition), and that he received a master’s degree in business administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina.

Read more here.

June 29, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — David Terry, a 2011 graduate of DePauw University, and Alex Warfield, who will be a junior this fall, have been cast in the Indiana premiere of Disney's Camp Rock: The Musical.  Presented at the Athenaeum Theatre in Indianapolis July 1-16, the show opens the 2011 season for BOBDIREX, a theatre company based in Indiana's capital city.

Terry (pictured at top), a former voice student of Caroline B. Smith, portrays Luke Williams.  His DePauw credits include DePauw Theatre’s production of The Who's Tommy and a student production of The Laramie Project.  In April, he collected the top prize at a community fundraiser, Dancing with the Putnam County Stars.

Warfield, a saxophone student of Scotty Stepp and voice student of Barbara Parè, performs the role of Ella Pador.  Her DePauw credits include the student production of Working: The Musical. She is also a member of DePauwCappella, the student a cappella musical ensemble.

Camp Rock: The Musical is a combination of two of the Walt Disney Company's most successful television movies: Camp Rock and Camp Rock: The Final Jam. The stage production features thirty of Indianapolis' finest young performers.

Learn more about the production and the performers by clicking here.

June 30, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Mary Meeker, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and 1981 graduate of DePauw University, is joining the board of directors of Square, "which also includes former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers," reports the Times of India. Square is a mobile payment service whose "technology lets people use their mobile phones to accept credit card payments from other people," notes the report.

Read more at the newspaper's website.

A psychology major at DePauw, Mary G. Meeker was a technology analyst and managing director at Morgan Stanley before joining Kleiner Perkins in November 2010.

After earning a B.A. from DePauw, where she majored in psychology, Meeker received an M.B.A. in finance from Cornell University. Meeker also holds an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from DePauw. She was recently announced as one of the featured speakers at Web 2.0 2011 summit.

Her recent presentation on the nation's financial condition, "USA Inc.," "brought fresh thinking and new urgency to the nation's fiscal straits," noted a March 21 Christian Science Monitor editorial.

July 1, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Putnam County Foundation and as part of the Silver Anniversary League of donors, the family of the late Charles A. Jones has established the Charles A. Jones Family Endowment," begins a story in today's Banner-Graphic of Greencastle. "The unrestricted community endowment will provide discretionary funds to the Putnam County Community Foundation." [Ralph Taylor photo from Old Gold Day 1964 shows: Charles and Ann Jones with children Thad II (then age 10), Stephen (17) and Margaret (13)]

"In 1975 Charles A. Jones (Charlie) and his wife of 30 years, Ann M. Jones, gave 25 acres of prime U.S. 231 road frontage for the construction of the new Putnam County Hospital," notes the newspaper. "It was then that Charlie voiced his hope that some day there would be a conduit through which other donations benefiting the community might flow. From that conversation was born the idea of a community foundation in Putnam County. And 35 years later, his family established the Charles A. Jones Family Endowment in his memory. Through his children and grandchildren and now their children, Charlie's love for Greencastle and the farm lives on. Emily (Jones) Knuth ['99], her husband, Dennis, children Eleanor and Charles, along with Olivia (Jones) Query, her husband, Cory, and their son Beau Charles, and Kathryn and Stephen Jones ['69] have established the Charles A. Jones Family Endowment in his memory."

Charles Jones was a 1942 graduate of DePauw; his wife Ann (Montgomery) graduated cum laude in 1944.

"It is our hope that for Greencastle and Putnam County, the best is yet to come," according to the Jones family.

Read more at the newspaper's website.

July 2, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "The environmental movement in America has a new ally. No, not a public utility, not a Hollywood celebrity, but prisons," begins a newspaper op-ed written by DePauw University students Nathan Cummins and Terrell Moore. Cummins, who will be a senior this fall, and Moore, a rising sophomore, are both members of the DePauw Environmental Policy Project. They note, "Over the past week, we joined dozens of prison officials, eco-friendly business representatives, and technical experts in Indianapolis for the first 'National Symposium on Sustainable Corrections.' Indiana was chosen to host the conference because our state has emerged as a leader in prison sustainability initiatives. The medium-security prison at Putnamville, for example, has saved $1.75 million in natural gas cost over the past three-and-a-half years and reduced its carbon footprint by implementing, among other initiatives, a comprehensive recycling program."

The students report, "The results are impressive. In the last five years, Putnamville has cut its trash bill by more than $5,000 per month despite an increase in its population of 1,000 inmates, and now makes money from selling recyclable materials. During our tour of the facility we also observed their new energy-efficient biomass boiler and a wind turbine that powers two buildings. Through these initiatives, Putnamville has saved Hoosier taxpayers money and become a model for other Indiana prisons to emulate."

Cummins and Moore point out, "Gov. Mitch Daniels has often stressed the importance of reducing costs and providing better services for Indiana. We are glad to see that the Indiana Department of Correction is taking this message to heart. Tommy Norris, CEO of GreenPrisons.org, stated that sustainable prisons are a 'positive experience all the way around.' Preliminary results from Indiana's efforts to save taxpayer money while reducing its environmental footprint suggest that Norris is on the right track.

Read their complete essay, which has appeared in several papers, at the website of the Terre Haute Tribune-Star or at College News.org.

Another member of DEPP, Oksana Polhuy, who will be a sophomore at DePauw University in the fall, contributed a column last month o the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper. Access it here.

July 3, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has awarded retired doctor Roy K. Hunteman, M.D., with the Distinguished Hoosier Award, which is given to Indiana residents who have excelled in their fields," begins an article in Greencastle's Banner Graphic. "Dr. Hunteman, who now resides in Richmond, is a 1963 graduate of DePauw, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He was also a Rector Scholar at DePauw."

The photo accompanying the story (and seen at the top of this summary) shows Indiana State Representative Jim Baird presenting the award to Dr. Hunteman in Holton Memorial Quadrangle.

The text details how, after graduating from DePauw, Hunteman earned a degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine, served with distinction as a U.S. Army captain during the Vietnam war, and returned to a long and distinguished career in medicine.  He also co-founded Friends of the Battered for Women and Children, which is now known as the Genesis Shelter for Women, and dedicated himself to service projects. In 2000, Dr. Hunteman  received the Distinguished Public Service Award from the Indiana Academy of Family Medicine.

You'll find the complete text at the newspaper's website.

July 4, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — A story in Kansas' Olathe News begins, "They rise early in the morning and commute from Johnson County to the inner city. They organize schedules, purchase supplies and supervise the workforce. They work inside and out, in all kinds of weather, often on the weekends. And they do it all for free." The article by Joy Gipple notes that the volunteers include "Ellen Clayton of Leawood, a senior at DePauw University in Indiana."

The program, administered by Kansas City-based Metro Lutheran Ministry "serves elderly and disabled people referred by neighborhood associations, utility companies and other agencies."

Clayton tells the newspaper, "It's fun coming out here. It's nice to help them stay there and fix stuff the way they want."

Gipple writes, "Clayton enjoyed meeting the homeowners -- a brother and sister who lived in a house originally purchased by their father. The woman sat right in front of the window to watch them work. She said, 'My dad would be so happy if he could see this right now.' "

Access the complete story -- "Volunteers are fixing houses, lifting spirits" -- by clicking here.

July 4, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "An advocacy organization for the television industry has launched a summer campaign to encourage parents to support 'safe and healthy viewing habits for kids,' " but be wary, warns Jeff McCall. In an Indianapolis Star op-ed, the professor of communication at DePauw University writes of "the Remote PATROL campaign" being led by a group called TV Watch.

"Don't believe for a minute that TV Watch is flowing with altruism and concern for the kids whose minds are narcotized by too much television in the summer," declares Dr. McCall. "TV Watch's real agenda has nothing to do with protecting kids and everything to do with protecting big television corporations from government efforts to manage indecent and violent content on the airwaves."

He points out, "TV Watch is an organization made up of big media corporations (CBS, NBC, News Corporation) and groups of actors and producers. The organization is opposed to any efforts by the Federal Communications Commission to enforce current laws that prohibit indecent and profane content in broadcasting. TV Watch would have us all believe that its opposition to government oversight is to defend the First Amendment, but what they really want is to avoid FCC fines while being able to dump any content they want into American culture.

McCall, a 1976 graduate of DePauw, asserts, "The media industry fakes concern for kids by providing online tutorials for parents about how to use video blocking technologies on television sets. That appears to be the only role for media producers in protecting kids. While TV Watch tells parents to be more responsible for what their kids see, the industry itself shoulders no responsibility for what ends up on television."

The professor argues, "The false choice offered by TV Watch and big media is that parents should do a better job of managing their kids' viewing or the government will impose more regulatory control. What is really needed -- a third approach -- is for the media industry to exercise self-control and air material that is unsuitable for kids only at times when kids aren't likely in the audience. That's the easiest way to keep the FCC out of the broadcasting kitchen. Self-control by the media industry, of course, would require big media CEOs to exercise cultural leadership, something they appear to be unwilling to do."

McCall's column concludes, "The First Amendment protects broadcasters in the airing of all kinds of culturally vacuous programming, and, no doubt, many broadcasters will continue to dispense such fare. It would at least be nice if the media industry wouldn't insult us with its false sense of caring and flimsy educational campaigns designed to give itself PR cover."

Read the complete essay at College News.org.

Jeffrey M. McCall is frequently called upon by major media outlets to discuss media matters and has been quoted in more than 100 newspapers.  He's also the author of the book Viewer Discretion Advised: Taking Control of Mass Media Influences.

July 5, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "Primary polling the summer before a national election has very little value in terms of predicting the ultimate nominee," Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports and 1986 graduate of DePauw University, tells the Washington Times. "They measure name recognition but tell us little of how the candidates will perform on the campaign trail or handle the spotlight. They also tell us nothing of how voter opinions will shift as the candidates become better known."

The report notes that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney currently leads the crowded pack of Republican presidential hopefuls, "though history suggests the early lead in the polls won’t necessarily make him a shoo-in at the ballot box," writes Seth McLaughlin. "Polling this far out from the first vote being cast can be a shaky barometer for who will emerge victorious from the grueling primary process."

Rasmussen, a noted pollster and author of Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System and In Search of Self-Governance, tells the newspaper, "It’s worth noting that a very large segment of the GOP voter pool is looking for a candidate outside the list preferred by the D.C. establishment. In other words, the GOP base may be angry at President Obama but they’re not thrilled with Beltway Republicans either."

Access the complete text at the Times' website.

Scott Rasmussen co-founded ESPN with his father, Bill Rasmussen '54.  Learn more him in this recent story.

July 6, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "The instruments we hear in most concerts today have evolved significantly from those used at the time Vivaldi and Bach were composing," according to Eric Edberg, professor of music at DePauw University and organizer of the Greencastle Summer Music Festival.  Edberg is quoted in the Banner-Graphic previewing tonight’s concert by the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra. The program, "Vehemently Vivaldi", begins at 7:30 p.m. at Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church on the DePauw campus and is free and open to all.

"In the 19th and 20th centuries, numerous changes were made to make instruments louder and brighter as large concert halls developed," adds Professor Edberg. "Groups like the IBO are dedicated to playing 'early music' using playing techniques and instruments as much like the composers would have heard as possible."

Tonight’s concert "features works by the ‘red-haired priest,’ Antonio Vivaldi, who was known as a wild and dramatic violin virtuoso as well as a prolific composer."  Featured will be lead violinist Allison Edberg (Professor Edberg’s former wife), violinists Martha Perry and James Johnson, violist Brandi Berry, cellist Christine Kyprainides and harpsichordist Tom Gerber.

Learn more at the newspaper’s website.

Founded in 1884, the DePauw School of Music is one of the oldest in the nation, and it has an established tradition of educating leaders in virtually every facet of music -- including performers, educators, composers and administrators. Learn more here.

July 6, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Bryan A. Sable, who will be a senior at DePauw University this fall, has been presented the Congressional Award Gold Medal. Sable received the medal on June 23 in recognition of his community service efforts, environmental activism and personal development. (Sable is in the middle of the top photo; Congressman Robert Dold is seen at right)

The Congressional Award is the United States Congress' award for young Americans. It is non-partisan, voluntary, and non-competitive. Sable was one of 246 gold medal recipients honored this year.

"I want to congratulate Bryan for this important accomplishment," says U.S. Representative Robert J. Dold (R-Illinois). "His efforts to help struggling youth, his focus on physical fitness, and his expedition to save sea turtles in Costa Rica are impressive. His positive influence will go a long way towards inspiring his peers and encouraging others to go out into their local communities and make a difference."

An article in suburban Chicago's Pioneer newspaper notes, "Sable, now a senior at DePauw University, first heard of the program from his parents, who in turn learned of it from a friend. It intrigued him, he said last week, and he started working on his personal goals." Kathy Routliff reports, "Since 2003, he’s mentored troubled young people through the Haven program, and volunteered with such efforts as Special Olympics and the American Cancer Society’s 'Relay For Life.' The journey has even taken him to Costa Rica, where he helped research the lives of endangered sea turtles — and helped rescue a few from poachers."

"It’s nice to have a structure to what you’re doing, and a structure for eventually making the world a better place -- which I think is one of the major goals of the program," the DePauw student tells the newspaper. "People overestimate what they can accomplish in a day, but underestimate what they can accomplish in a lifetime. This is a way to help you realize those lifetime goals."

Access the full story at the newspaper's website. Also available is an announcement from the congressman's office.

Learn more about the Congressional Award by clicking here.

July 7, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Toby McClamroch, managing partner at Bingham McHale and 1977 graduate of DePauw University, is among the attorneys featured in the Indianapolis Business Journal’s “Who’s Who in Law” for 2011. “Every business sector has influential players, whether they are in the public eye or wield their influence behind the scenes,” notes IBJ, which points out that “the individuals on this list have been nominated through a variety of means and vetted by their peers, culminating in the publication of this final list.”

”A senior business transaction and government services lawyer, Toby McClamroch has served as managing partner of Bingham McHale since 2004,” the text states. “In addition to his knowledge of the business sector, McClamroch knows his way around government. He co-chairs Bingham McHale’s Legislative Conference, an annual event held before the Indiana General Assembly session, which offers firsthand information from legislators, elected officials and business leaders. He’s also a regular presenter … McClamroch himself was on the City-County Council for eight years when Steve Goldsmith was mayor. He served as parliamentarian to the Indiana House of Representatives from 1995 to 1996, chairman of the Marion County Election Board from 1987 to 1991, and counsel for the Indiana House Republicans from 1985 to 1994.”

The profile notes that McClamroch serves his community on several boards, including those of Marian University, the Arts Council of Indianapolis, and Special Olympics of Indiana.

Read more by clicking here.

July 7, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Entertainment at a Sunday program at which the Ralph Adams Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented includes "Indianapolis-born trumpeter Pharez Whitted, who now lives in Chicago, where he is director of jazz studies at Chicago State University," notes the Indianapolis Star. In the "Weekend's Best" column, Jay Harvey writes, "Whitted studied at DePauw and Indiana universities and began his career in Indianapolis. A long family tradition of music through the legendary Hampton clan helped shape him."

The text notes that Whitted, a 1982 DePauw University graduate, "has received wide recognition for current disc Transient Journey, a nominee for a 2011 Independent Music Award. 'I knew they were special,' Whitted said of the compositions he brought to the recording, 'but I didn't know how well they would go over.' Though all instrumental, the music was conceived to unify around the message to 'fight the good fight, and we've got to stay positive,' Whitted said."

The awards will be presented at the Cabaret at the Columbia Club on Monument Circle in Indianapolis.

Read more at IndyStar.com.

You'll find additional information on Pharez Whitted, a graduate of the DePauw University School of Music, in this recent article.

July 8, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Bob Vedder, a 1966 graduate of DePauw University, is the recipient of the Florida Press Association's "Lifetime Member Award." The retired editor of the Venice Gondolier, Vedder was honored at the FPA's annual convention. (photo, l-r: S.L. Frisbie IV and Bob Vedder received their awards from Sandra Kemp, chair of FPA and publisher of the Navarre Press)

A story noting the award and Vedder's DePauw degree states, "After spending 10 years with Dow Jones and Company and ending up as national production manager of worldwide operations, he moved to Venice where he served as general manager and publisher. He was also vice president of the company that owns the newspaper, the Sun Coast Media Group. He worked for that company from 1978 to 2010 when he retired. He continues as vice president and a member of their board. He served as president of the Florida Press Association and continues on the board of the Florida Press Foundation."

Robert A. Vedder was a history major at DePauw, where he worked on Indiana's oldest college newspaper, The DePauw.

The Florida Press Association is the trade association of the newspapers of Florida. Founded in 1879, it serves every daily newspaper and most weekly newspapers throughout the state.

Read more by clicking here.

July 8, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Ryan Slabaugh, a 2001 graduate of DePauw University, has been named co-manager and editor of Colorado's Aspen Times and its weekly affiliates, the Aspen Times Weekly and the Snowmass Sun.

"The opportunity is to build upon a long history of talented editors and leaders at the Aspen Times," says Slabaugh. "So I know I'm a lucky guy with a tremendous responsibility. But I am confident because I believe in our team, our people, and our role here, and I know we will never waver from our commitment to this community. It is the community's paper, after all, and always will be."

A story in the newspaper notes, "Slabaugh, who grew up in the Midwest and graduated from DePauw University, joined the Roaring Fork newspapers in the fall of 2010. Previously he had been editor of the Sierra Sun and its companion newspapers along the shore of Lake Tahoe in Nevada and California, and before that was managing editor of the Summit Daily News in Frisco and an editor at the Vail Daily."

Access the article at the Times' website.

Learn more about Ryan Slabaugh in this previous summary.

July 9, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Randall E. Curran, a 1976 graduate of DePauw University, has joined OHL, a global logistics company, as chief executive officer. Curran is currently the chairman of the board of directors of RDA Holdings, owner of Reader's Digest Association, Inc. He served as chief executive officer and a director of ITC^Deltacom from February 2005 to October 2010, when ITC^Deltacom was purchased by Earthlink.

Prior to ITC^Deltacom, Curran served as chairman and CEO of ICG Communications, Inc., a telecommunications company, from September 2000 until December 2003. He previously was chairman, president and CEO of Thermadyne Holdings Corporation.

"The momentum of the business and the global market position within the industry make this an exciting time to be joining OHL," Curran states. "I am looking forward to working with an experienced group of supply chain leaders that have made OHL the global 3PL that it is today."

After graduating from DePauw, where he majored in economics, Curran received a Master of Business Administration degree from Loyola University in Chicago.

Read more at Yahoo! Finance. 

Also available is this previous story.

July 9, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "I started my radio career as an on-air personality at my college radio station, DePauw University's WGRE," notes Tobi, a disc jockey and co-music director of the online music channel, New Normal Music. "I've always loved music. I don't remember a time in my life when music wasn't the most important thing to me, so it seemed only natural to get involved with my college radio station."

She adds, "During my four years at DePauw University, I was an on-air personality, news director, and production director for WGRE, The Sound Alternative. My years at WGRE were totally rad and my station had creative, nurturing leadership that provided a great foundation for my career."

The profile details how, after graduating from DePauw in 1990, Tobi Pagach (who is known professionally simply as Tobi), worked for an airline, hosted a program on WLBK in DeKalb, Illinois, and -- with a dream of reaching a broader audience -- drove her car to Los Angeles. "I had no contacts, a talk show demo on cassette and a tenacious drive to succeed," she recalls. 

What followed was a series of broadcasting jobs which led to her being hired by XM satellite radio network, which "hired me to build the indie music library for the nation's first coast to coast college/indie music channel, called XMU. In 2001, they moved me across the country to Washington, D.C., and I spent eight years there programming new music on XMU and hosting a daily new music show called The Afterschool Special w/Tobi. While at XM, I hosted interviews and stage announces at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, SXSW, ACL, Coachella and CMJ. I was also XM's on-camera host for various marketing videos and video coverage at festivals and IndyCar events around the U.S."

Read more here or listen to New Normal Music.

Also available is this previous article.

July 9, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — The six college interns at the Salt Lake Tribune this summer -- two of whom are undergraduates at DePauw University -- "view our industry's challenges as an opportunity for innovation and improvement," writes Lisa Carricaburu. "They are a passionate and impressive group. Their preparation and commitment speaks well for journalism's future." (Tribune photo of 2011 summer interns includes Margaret Distler on the far left, and Chase Hall, second from the right)

An article in the Utah newspaper notes, "Margaret Distler and Chase Hall are juniors at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., and are on the staff of The DePauw student newspaper. Distler, who is from Fort Wayne, Ind., and Hall, who is from Hinsdale, Ill., are recipients of their school’s Barney Kilgore Fellowship, which funded their internships. Distler's emphasis is visual journalism. She will spend most of her internship on the photo and design desks. Hall is rotating among various desks, primarily writing feature stories."

Carricuburu points out, "Each intern earned this 10-week summer job through a competitive process, having been chosen from a large pool of candidates who applied for our own internship program or for fellowships offered through their schools or journalism organizations."

You'll find the full story -- headlined "Tribune interns speak well for journalism's future" -- at the newspaper's website.

DePauw University is the birthplace of the Society of Professional Journalists, which was founded by students as Sigma Delta Chi on May 6, 1909, and is today the nation's most broad-based journalism organization.

July 9, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Kevin Howley, associate professor of communication at DePauw University, acknowledges, "I don’t Tweet. And I don’t plan to open a Twitter account anytime soon. The phrase 'when hell freezes over' comes to mind. In a Bloomington Alternative op-ed, he writes, "Nevertheless, when President Barack Obama hosted a Twitter Town Hall this past week, I’ll admit I was a little curious."

Dr. Howley notes, "Apart from the 'he said, she said' press coverage of budget negotiations in Washington and the media firestorm over Casey Anthony’s acquittal, Obama’s Twitter Town Hall topped the news agenda for a couple of days. The phrase 'starved for entertainment'comes to mind. Press coverage of the event invariably evoked the history of presidential communication, from FDR’s fireside chats on radio to JFK’s televised press conferences. The phrase 'the medium is the message' comes to mind."

After making several other points, the column concludes, "Macon Phillips, White House director of digital strategy, told reporters that the Twitter Town Hall was an attempt to have a 'productive conversation with the public.' The phrase 'who’s kidding whom' comes to mind."

Read the complete essay at College News.org.

Professor Howley is the editor of the textbook, Understanding Community Media and authored Community Media: People, Places, and Communication Technologies. He recently was quoted in Public Broadcasting Report.