KQED's Forum

Part of growing up is being able to forget in order to change and reinvent yourself. New media technologies, like Youtube and Facebook, are increasingly making the past unforgettable. What does it mean for the new generation of young people to never be able to fully let go of their past — even the most embarrassing photos? According to Kate Eichhorn, culture and media professor at New York City's New School, people are now forming their identities online from an early age and in the process, creating a permanent record that’s impossible to delete. Forum talks with Eichhorn about her new book, “The End of Forgetting: Growing Up with Social Media,” and the future of growing up. We want to hear from you: How are you making decisions about the images and content you share of yourself or your kids online?

State legislators are considering a bill that would require many gig-based companies to hire their independent contractors as employees. The bill could affect as many as two million contract workers in California, across a variety of industries, from rideshare drivers to construction workers to strippers. Supporters of Assembly Bill 5, including drivers for Uber and Lyft who have been rallying in support of the change, say the gig economy is exploiting low income workers. Opponents say the rise in independent work reflects a changing economy and workers' desire for flexibility. They argue the change would be dire for California's economy.

In order to address issues like climate change, we need to learn how to do something that doesn't come naturally to us — plan for the long-term. That's according to former Obama senior climate adviser, Bina Venkataraman. In her new book, "The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age," Venkataraman argues that our society and economy reinforces our addiction to instant gratification by focusing on short-term market gains. Venkataraman joins Forum to talk about how we, as individuals, can inspire sweeping societal change by reframing the way we think about the future.

On Monday, a judge in Oklahoma handed down a ruling that Johnson & Johnson must pay $572 million to the state for the company's role in the opioid epidemic. It's the first ruling of its kind to hold a pharmaceutical company accountable for the opioid crisis. Meanwhile, Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, is offering to settle over 2,000 lawsuits from states, cities and counties for $10 billion to $12 billion dollars. We'll discuss what these developments could mean for other health care and drug companies, the public interest and the fight to end the opioid epidemic.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman and California Congressman Adam Schiff has been at the center of the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. With the 2020 presidential race approaching, Rep. Schiff is looking into what the United States can do to shore up our election security and the rising threat of deepfake videos. He joins Forum to discuss the latest in the ongoing investigation into foreign intervention in our election and his legislative response to gun violence and domestic terrorism.

Our streets are full of "stories hidden in plain sight" say Aaron Henkin and Wendel Patrick, hosts of the award-winning documentary podcast "Out of The Blocks." A project of Baltimore public radio station WYPR, the podcast showcases the stories of residents on a given block, in their own words and backed by an original score. Even though it is rooted in the streets of Baltimore, "Out of The Blocks" has expanded to also tell the stories of neighborhoods in Atlanta, Chicago, Seoul, South Korea and more. In partnership with KQED, the team recently brought their production to the Lower Bottoms neighborhood of West Oakland. Henkin and Patrick join Forum to discuss their work and share some of the stories they've uncovered.

A Chicago Tribune investigation tested the amount of radiation exposure from cell phones and found many phones exceeded the legal safety allowed limit. The Tribune funded lab tests on various cell phone models and found the popular iPhone 7 measured more than double the radiation Apple officially reported to federal regulators. In response, the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates cell phones, says it will now conduct its own testing. Forum discusses the investigation and whether we should worry about radiation exposure.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) will partially shut down at the end of this week. The bipartisan election watchdog, which oversees national campaign finance law, has long been plagued with open vacancies and infighting. Republican commissioner Matthew Petersen's resignation on Monday, however, made history by making it the first time in 11 years that the FEC will not have the four-person quorum needed to conduct business. Forum discusses what this new development means for the future of the FEC and the upcoming 2020 elections.

More than 2 million high school graduates begin college every year. Yet only 60 percent of four-year college students finish their degree within six years, and less than 40 percent of community college students graduate or transfer to four-year institutions. UC Berkeley professor David Kirp, who details these issues in his latest book "The College Dropout Scandal," believes colleges and universities need to do a better job of retaining students, and that changes like redesigning big lecture classes and minigrants to juniors and seniors could help. Kirp joins Forum to discuss his book and more of his ideas for decreasing college dropout rates.

The videos on Lauren "Lolo" Spencer's YouTube channel "Sitting Pretty" range from travel tips to relationship advice for people with disabilities to candid views on how she navigates the world. They're based in Spencer's own experiences as a black woman who was diagnosed with ALS when she was 14 and now uses a wheelchair. She says "most will assume the life of a physically disabled person HAS to be depressing," but she hopes her visibility as a disability lifestyle influencer helps expand people's understanding that life can be both challenging and good. Spencer, who has modeled for Tommy Hilfiger's adaptive fashion line and makes her acting debut in the new film "Give Me Liberty," joins Forum to share her experience and the importance of disability representation.