Spectrum

By WOUB Public MediaNews

Spectrum episodes

July 05, 2017 Immigration Passions Run High as Trump Administration Addresses Issues
Passions can run high with immigration issues. Some Americans embrace immigration and immigrants as being the backbone of the United States. While with others, immigration is seen as problematic and even frightening and a threat to America.

Although often we, as Americans, see immigration issues as simplistic black and white issues, but instead, according to Dr. Andrew Selee, we need to take a broader view to immigration and its complexities. We, as a country, need to work on how we can improve our immigration instead of concentrating on how to limit our immigration policies, he says.

Dr. Selee is the Executive Vice President of the Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington. On August 1 he will become the President of the Migration Policy Institute, a global policy and research think tank-- also in Washington DC.

Dr. Selee’s expertise is in immigration with a special emphasis on Mexico and the inter-relationships between Mexico and the United States.

Under the Trump Administration enforcement against undocumented residents already is up 37 percent. Selee says this emphasis on enforcement and building a wall appeals only to about 20 to 25 percent of the American public

During this period of hyper enforcement, Dr. Selee notes some positive aspects of immigration. About one-third of all new businesses in America are started by immigrants. He also notes that legal immigrants bring to America a higher degree of academic attainment than the average American has.

Dr. Selee also says that since 2007, immigration from Mexico to the United States is in decline because the Mexican population is getting older and the country’s economy is getting better. Instead, Mexico is facing immigration issues with the influx of people to Mexico from Central America.

Dr. Selee notes that the Asia immigration population in America is the most rapidly expanding group with an influx of people from India and China.

He discusses the fact that Congress has not been able to adequately address immigration because any proposed plan gets snagged in the details.

He also notes that drugs do not come into this country from Mexico through illegal border crossings. Instead, they come in hidden in vehicles through legitimate points of entry. New technology is needed to detect and stop this and not a wall, according to Selee.
32 min
June 28, 2017 Trump’s Foreign Policy is “Chaotic, Amorphous and Unprofessional” Says Expert
American foreign policy under the Trump Administration currently is “chaotic, amorphous, and …unprofessional,” according to Ambassador Reuben Brigety, dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

Ambassador Brigety expresses to Spectrum podcast that he is concerned about the huge number of important positions in the State Department that are not yet filled after four months in office. The Trump Administration has not nominated a sufficient number of people for the U.S. Senate to confirm. This leaves foreign policy work undone and sends the wrong message to our allies, according to Brigety.

He believes that there are multiple reasons for these vacancies. He said that the Trump Transition Team was the most “slow and chaotic that we’ve seen in decades.” Therefore, nominations were not ready early in the Administration.

He also says that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has decided to “take his time” making these appointments since the Trump administration has called for a 30% budget cut in the State Department which leads to a lay-off of 2,300 State Department workers. The Ambassador calls this 30% cut “outrageous.”

Finally, Brigety says the positions are not filled because several potential employees have said “no” to joining this administration.

Brigety asserts that his observations are not partisan in nature and is quick to point out major foreign policy attributes of the Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush administrations.

The Ambassador also notes that the Trump administration, to date, has failed to articulate an overall foreign policy. “America First is not a world view,” says Brigety. He claims that it is a slogan that is rather meaningless when confronting major problems or catastrophes on the world’s stage.

Brigety also raised some concerns about the Defense Department and the role of the military in making foreign policy decisions. He cites that we come from a long tradition of “civilian control of the military” through the President. He, however, says it is a reasonable question to ask whether currently any civilians in the Trump Administration have an adequate understanding or comprehension of the military in order to make informed decisions.

Speaking specifically of Africa, Ambassador Brigety says that too often America has not taken advantage of the richness of Africa’s resources of land, people, and development possibilities. Instead, China has taken over as the major economic player on the African continent and has eclipsed America’s meager efforts. Brigety says that the Trump Administration, to date, has been “quiet on Africa.”

He provides Spectrum listeners with a guide of what to follow in the future in the areas of foreign policy. He thinks it is important to view how America is relating to its allies, how it handles North Korea, and how the Trump Administration responds to the next big disaster that will require humanitarian efforts.

Ambassador Brigety previously served as Representative of the United States to the African Union and was named Permanent Representative of the US to the UN Economic Commission for Africa. He also has served as a Deputy Assist Sec. of State in the Bureau of African Affairs and in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. He also is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
0 min
June 21, 2017 Leaks & Anonymous Sources Dominate Coverage of Trump/Russia Investigations
During the scramble to be the first and provide the best possible coverage of the ongoing Trump/Russia investigations, credible news organizations have published numerous stories based upon “leaks” from sources who are listed as “anonymous” or described without using their names or titles.

Some Administration officials decry “leakers” and infer that they are not credible and chastise news entities for using the information from these unnamed sources. Some officials call stories based on anonymous sources “fake news.”

Journalists, however, often must rely on these anonymous tips to get the facts and after the stories and sources are completely vetted – the resulting story is anything but “fake news.” Often these stories are, in fact, the most reliable types of stories. They must, however, be what Andrew Alexander calls – subject to “prosecutorial editing” – severe editing for fairness, credibility and accuracy.

Alexander is a former Washington Post ombudsman, a former Washington Bureau chief for Cox Newspapers and an award winning journalist – in his own right. His media career has spanned more than four decades.

He has reported from more than 50 countries and he has directed news coverage both domestically and internationally. He is a member of the board of the American Society of News Editors and has led its Freedom of Information Committee.

Alexander also serves on the New York based Committee to Protect Journalists – This group assists journalists worldwide who have been subjected to attacks, arrests and harassment.

Today, he helps us understand the use of anonymous sources by journalists, governmental leaks and the ethics and legalities surrounding this controversial method of reporting.

Specifically, the use by media of unnamed anonymous sources in ongoing news coverage of the Trump/Russia investigation has been a point of contention and is rampant in it repetitiveness.

Alexander helps define for us “off the record” and “not for attribution” and tells us why a reporter or editor might support anonymity of a source. He also thinks it is humorous when Congress and the White House get upset and agitated about “leakers” since many of the leakers work for those complaining entities.

He also notes that, to date, the Trump Administration has been waging a “war of words” against reporters but if those words turn into punitive actions with legal consequences, then we will be in a new state of animosity that we have never seen set loose against the media in this country.

Alexander equated this possible hostility against the media to be similar to what happens to reporters in Russia, Syria or Turkey.
43 min
June 14, 2017 Where Are We in Trump/Russia Investigations? NPR Security Editor Tells Us
We have investigations ongoing of the Trump campaign/Russia connection in the Senate, the House and with the Special Counsel appointed by the Interim Attorney General.

It seems we don’t have any one place to follow the events and with each entity conducting its own investigation, we as average citizens can feel like we’re drowning in a sea of terminology and confusion.

We can’t keep up or keep the news straight in our minds.

Philip Ewing, national security editor for National Public Radio (NPR), helps us traverse this confusing investigatory landscape.

Ewing breaks down the recent Senate hearings with Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers and former FBI Director James Comey.

Phil gives us an insiders-update on all of the Trump/Russia investigations. He points out and explains many of the nuances that we might otherwise miss.

We discuss “executive privilege,” “classified information,” “the Fifth Amendment,” “immunity,” and “contempt of Congress” among other procedural aspects of the testimony we have heard so far.

He also gives us insight on the workings of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office, his recent attorney appointments to his staff, and how Mueller is coordinating his activities with the Senate.

We compare how the current investigations are similar to and different from the past Watergate scandal and impeachment proceedings.

We also look at how the White House and the Trump Administration are responding. And, we talk about the role of the news media in covering this process and uncovering stories that actually help propel the investigations.

Throughout the ongoing investigations, Ewing will periodically visit with us to help the average American gain understanding of the processes and events. He will act as our translator and our guide.
48 min
June 07, 2017 Storytelling is the Backbone of Advertising Regardless the Delivery System
Authenticity and great storytelling combine to form the backbone of good advertising, according to advertising expert Chuck Borghese.

Borghese is an award-winning veteran of the creative side of advertising having spent nearly four decades in the business and charting its changes over time.

He notes that in the days of Mad Men advertising executives, up through the early 1960’s, that most advertising was based on “authority.” The advertisers, according to Borghese, told consumers what they wanted and even down to dictating the colors that would be most popular.

Beginning in the mid 1960’s until now, he claims that most effective advertising is being based on “authenticity.” He says that this is especially true in the era of heightened social media. If a product is not authentic or the message is not accurate, people on social media will be talking about it immediately. Social media can destroy an advertising campaign in a heartbeat, Borghese says.

No matter how advertising messages are delivered in the “Digital Age”, Borghese says that the need for relatable storytelling will never change. He notes the heart of effective advertising is to tell a great story that connects with the potential consumer.

Advertising is really becoming more like public relations, according to Borghese, meaning that stories need to be tailored specifically to the needs of the consumers.

He notes that when information about a certain product that the user looked at online follows that user to almost every site the user visits, it can be considered badgering by the potential consumer. However, if the product is connected to a story that resonates with the Internet user, then the messages, no matter how many, have greater value and will become more effective.

Although the delivery systems for advertising are changing at breakneck speed, the core for advertising agencies success is how they mesh the product with the needs or desires of the consumer in an authentic and not a fabricated way.

If advertisers can do that then they will be successful whether its 2017 or 2025, Borghese predicts.

Borghese started his advertising career in Detroit where he managed the campaigns of large consumer brands. He then became creative director at Ogilvy and Mather in Atlanta. His next move was to go to New York City where he worked for two agencies, topping his career at DDB agency working for one of the pioneers of authentic creative advertising Bill Bernbach.

Borghese currently is a guest lecturer in Strategic Communication in the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and also is continuing his career with a new worldwide advertising agency.
45 min
May 31, 2017 The US is Factionalized – Only Held Together by Geography says Linda Tirado
Linda Tirado, author and activist, has written and spoken around the globe about what it's like to be poor in America. She now has a new project. She is seeking truth about our democracy by traveling the country and interviewing voters in the last Presidential election to find their current reaction to the Trump Administration and to the apparently stalled Congress.

Tirado is finding that we have groups of disparate people living in the same geographical country but most people no longer having common goals or purposes. She contends “factionalism” has never been this bad. She challenges whether we even have a “country” beyond geography.

This great divide is breeding danger: increased violence and a rise of the American style of fascism, according to Tirado.

She notes that reporters, just doing their job, are not safe and that far right-wing political people blame the news media for spreading lies and “fake news” as is trumpeted by President Trump. She cites the recent assault on a reporter covering the Montana congressional race.

She notes that many of the poor people who were depending on Trump to give them jobs and protect their interests are disappointed and their negative feelings are rapidly growing. As a result, Tirado contends they will probably not vote in future elections. Neither, Republicans nor Democrats should count on them voting – period.

She also contends that this administration is under attack at so many levels – Congressionally, foreign-policy wise, and the investigations of Russian interference and collusion that the average person cannot follow everything happening. She calls it a “fever dream of lunacy.”

It is Tirado’s contention that when people of overwhelmed that they turn off and pull inward back to their own lives and their local and family environments.

In October 2014, Tirado’s book,” Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America” was published and has emerged as an extremely meritorious book about living in poverty in America. About 43.1 million Americans live in poverty and some experts challenge that number as being too low.

Yet, poor people are routinely ignored by society and even chastised for not being able to work themselves out of poverty. Many, however, became a major factor in Trump’s victory in this past election.

Tirado challenges traditional political thinking, fly-over reporting by news organizations, and our misunderstandings of what it is truly like to be poor in this country. She is now on assignment from major publications to determine how and what Americans are truly thinking and believing.
47 min
May 24, 2017 White House Is Often in Turmoil but It Reflects the Style of President Trump
This White House is run differently than the West Wings of past Presidents. Those were based on fairly rigid protocols, roles, traditions and procedures. This White House is not the norm. It sometimes appears to be chaotic but it actually reflects the temperament, the personality and the style of its primary occupant – President Donald Trump.

“It’s not better or worse…it’s just what the President wants,” says TIME Washington Correspondent Philip Elliott.

Some traditional roles are quite different than with past Presidents. For example, the Chief of Staff position usually is a strong position and the Chief often has acted, in the past, as almost a surrogate President. Long-time Washington veteran Reince Priebus holds that position but most assuredly does not have the power of past Chiefs.

Instead, under President Trump, that power role is most often played by Vice President Mike Pence, according to Elliott. He says that Trump relies on Pence for traditional Washington power and procedure. The President feels some comfort with Pence around him. Pence allows Trump to be Trump – unpredictable and transparent.

Despite his ongoing battles with the news media, President Trump is one of the most transparent Presidents in modern times. He often says what he feels or uses Twitter to transmit it directly to millions of people, says Elliott.

He has a rotating group of people that he brings close to him, depending on his mood and the issue. He will be close to one person one day and another on the next day. It sometimes seems totally random, according to Elliott.

President Trump also is learning the relationship between branches of government especially between the executive and the legislative branches.

The Trump administration, for example, has sent a proposed budget to Congress that according to most observers is “dead on arrival.” According to most pundits, it has no chance of passing in anything close to its present form.

One senior Senate staffers called it nothing but “pixie dust”, according to Elliott.

Yet, Trump submitted this budget with its slashing provisions -- because he said he would, says Elliott. If it doesn’t get passed, then Trump can shift all blame to Congress – regardless the fact that the Congress is predominantly Republican.

Unless there is a major legal problem with the Presidency, Elliott truly doesn’t see it changing much throughout the remainder of Trump’s term. In short, the Presidency is the way Trump wants it to be – unpredictable, volatile and powerful.
42 min
May 22, 2017 Security Gaffes in the White House Cause Intelligence Expert Grave Concern
This is a special edition of SPECTRUM featuring intelligence expert, David Crane.
The way President Trump is dismissive of “intelligence briefings” and makes disclosure decisions without prior consultation with intelligence experts causes grave concern to a long time security veteran.

Recently, the news has focused on security gaffes in the White House. Some reports have said that President Trump gave the Russians intelligence information that was classified at the highest level of secrecy.

It is reported, by Trump’s National Security Advisor, that he made the decision to do so “on-the-spot” without any prior consultation with his security team.

His National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster said at a press briefing that before making the disclosures, the President did not know the source of the information or from where the information came.

Although McMaster claims the President’s disclosures to the Russians were “wholly appropriate,” many experts question the wisdom of such spur-of-the moment Presidential decisions to share highly secretive information without consulting with the security team first.

To understand exactly what happened and what the “intelligence terminology” we hear means…We’ve called in an expert -- David Crane.

Crane spent over 3 decades in top-level Intelligence work for the government. He helped create and was the founding director of the Office of Intelligence Review in the Department of Defense. He is an international law specialist and has acted as a prosecutor of war crimes for the United Nations.

Crane is very concerned about how this Administration is handling intelligence and what the dire ramifications could be. He is troubled by the President’s seemingly casual attitude about “intelligence” and his dismissive policies toward “briefings” by veteran intelligence officers.

He also describes how the President’s mishandling of critical information can put other countries and individuals in jeopardy as well as the United States.
31 min
May 17, 2017 Syrian War Crime Cases Prepped by US Attorney David Crane
World-renowned international lawyer and national security expert David Crane is heading the Syria Accountability Project to hold Syrian governmental and faction leaders accountable for thousands of verified war crimes.

He and his group are building war crime cases and trial packages against Syrian government and faction leaders. To date, Crane’s group has verified over 8,000 pages of individual war crimes.

Crane is building conflict maps and criminal law matrix to help international, national and local prosecutors in Syria try and convict war criminals. He also has compiled a massive data base and incident index. He even has prepared model indictments against named Syrian leaders.

Crane brings a wealth of experience to this effort. He was the lead prosecutor in war crimes trials for the United Nations against Sierra Leone and other leadership in the 1.2 million massacre of its citizens in that 11 year civil war. His work resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia. This was only the second time in history that a former head of state was convicted of war crimes.

He also helped create and was the founding director of the Office of Intelligence Review in the Department of Defense.

Throughout his illustrious career, Crane has been able to apply the rule of law to chaotic situations whether they are foreign or domestic.

Domestically, he is a firm believer that the U.S. Constitution guides everything. He cites that statutes, regulations and policies may come and go but the Constitution is always present with strong guiding principles to follow.

Crane is currently a Professor of Practice at the Syracuse University College of Law. He also is a member of the faculty of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism at Syracuse University.
34 min
May 10, 2017 National Geographic Uses Maps and Graphics to Makes Stories Come-to-Life
The job of the editorial teams at National Geographic is to make a “round world” come to life on a “flat plane” of a magazine, a web-screen, a phone or other mobile device. That, often, is a big challenge.

Kaitlin Yarnall is Deputy Director for the Centers of Excellence in Journalism, Mapping and Photography at the National Geographic Society.

She also has been the lead editorial manager for National Geographic’s 2014 multi-year, multimedia food initiative – to examine all aspect of food in our lives. It has been the most commercially successful editorial initiative in the history of National Geographic.

Yarnall’s designs for Geographic have won numerous awards.

She claims that even in the 21st century that maps have relevance. In fact, she claims that maps are making resurgence in our lives. Despite electronic GPS and other tracking methods, ordinary maps give individuals context and perspective that other electronic tracking devices do not, says Yarnall.

Along with graphics, photos, and other interactive features, maps and graphic depictions also make stories come to life. They broaden a reader’s perspective beyond the mere print and text of a story.

Editorial teams at National Geographic spend a great amount of time on the marriage between text, photos, graphics and maps. All are powerful storytelling elements when combined.

Yarnall also says that background data and data presentation can be critical to a story. Data must be presented a multiple levels, according to Yarnall.

Some basic data should be presented for someone who wants just some cursory background but other times, big data must be presented for those who want to dig deep on a particular subject.

Yarnall also notes that graphic designers for news and features must examine video gaming presentations and theories on how to engage people with the topic at a high interest level.

She claims that storytellers can take a great deal of information and tips on making stories more engaging from game developers.
32 min

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