The Annenverse

USC Annenberg’s New York City Maymester program connects students with industry professionals at leading media, communication and technology companies, including CBS News, the NBA, Spotify, and more. Senior public relations major Ruby Fuller and junior communication major Eric Choi share a glimpse into their experiences.

This episode of “The Annenverse” is hosted and researched by journalism student Skye Lee.  Audio engineered by Areon Mobasher. Produced by Olivia Mowry. Edited by Skye Lee and Areon Mobasher.

Amidst Russia's invasion and the ensuing war in Ukraine, Russian oligarchs have remained unscathed. Western attempts to curb their influence through financial measures has had limited success. However, a game-changing approach has emerged from USC Annenberg PhD graduate and Assistant Professor at Dartmouth College Herbert Chang, and his team.

Hosted by journalism major Skye Lee, The Annenverse delves into Chang’s revolutionary research that offers a fresh perspective on targeting the power of Russian oligarchs.

Mentioned: 

• “Complex systems of secrecy: the offshore networks of oligarchs” by Ho-Chun Herbert Chang, Brooke Harrington, Feng Fu, Daniel N Rockmore https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/2/3/pgad051/7059318?login=false
• “Targeting wealth managers would cripple Russia's oligarchs” by Dartmouth College https://www.newswise.com/politics/targeting-wealth-managers-would-cripple-russia-s-oligarchs/?article_id=787776
• Annenberg networks network https://research.usc.edu/news/2022/02/annenberg-networks-network/
• The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists https://www.icij.org/

This episode of “The Annenverse” is hosted and researched by journalism student Skye Lee. Audio engineered and edited by Areon Mobasher. Produced by Olivia Mowry. Additional editing by Skye Lee. 

Journalists have traditionally been expected to completely detach their own opinions from their work. But now that standard is beginning to evolve in a way that accepts the inherent bias of reporters. But how much is too much? 

Diving deep into these important topics at the very heart of modern journalism, we bring in two viewpoints from our USC Annenberg community. Myah Genung, chief program officer for Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab, and Jen Byers, a master’s student in specialized journalism who is writing her thesis on objectivity and leading the Activism Desk at Annenberg Media. Led by our host, journalism major Skye Lee, Genung and Byers discuss the definition of activism, the search for truth in journalism, the perils of objectivity, and more. 

Mentioned: 

• “Where Does Journalism End and Activism Begin?” by Michael Blanding for Neiman Reports - https://niemanreports.org/articles/where-does-journalism-end-and-activism-begin/
• “Newsroom Managers Urge Journalists to Keep Abortion Views Under Wraps” by Charlotte Klein for Vanity Fair - https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/05/newsroom-managers-urge-journalists-to-keep-abortion-views-under-wraps
• OpenSecrets - https://www.opensecrets.org/
• USC Annenberg Charlotta Bass Journalism and Justice Lab - https://basslab.usc.edu/
• Activism Desk at Annenberg Media - https://www.uscannenbergmedia.com/activism/

This episode of “The Annenverse” is hosted and researched by journalism student Skye Lee. Recorded and edited by Areon Mobasher. Produced by Olivia Mowry. Additional editing by Skye Lee. 

The landscape of the cannabis industry in America has dramatically changed in the 21st century. But with the slow trickle of legislation and cultural changes that have made cannabis more accessible, there are concerns around health effects, misinformation, and visibility. 

Enter USC Annenberg’s public relations students. As part of their PR 450 capstone class, a group of students worked with the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics to improve ways of getting the Center’s valuable evidence-based insights on cannabis legislation into the hands of those who need it most. Joining our host, journalism major Skye Lee, is Grayson Wolff, a junior in public relations, to share more about this unique class and increasingly pervasive topic.

Mentioned: 

• USC Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics: https://healthpolicy.usc.edu/

This episode of “The Annenverse” is hosted and researched by Journalism student Skye Lee. Recorded and edited by Areon Mobasher. Produced by Olivia Mowry. Additional editing by Skye Lee.

In 2019, Lil Nas X utilized his musical skills and understanding of meme culture in publishing “Old Town Road” on TikTok. The song quickly took over the social media app and beyond, becoming a pop culture earworm heard on TV, radio, and more. It not only launched Lil Nas X’s career, but also changed the trajectory of Alexandria Arrieta’s PhD studies at USC Annenberg. 

Looking past the song’s catchy tune, Arrieta has researched how the intersection of memes and music are having a profound impact on people’s communication and connection across social media. Joining our host, journalism major Skye Lee, Arrieta discusses how musical artists use TikTok, the way indigenous cultures share dance moves, if her studies affect her own songwriting, and much more. 

Mentioned: 

• Lil Nas X - Old Town Road (Official Video) ft. Billy Ray Cyrus: https://youtu.be/r7qovpFAGrQ
• Bumblebee speaks in Transformers, directed by Michael Bay (Universal City, DreamWorks Pictures and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2007), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Kgkav8TWo
• Alexandria’s writing and research:
  • The Problem with the “Main Character” Meme: http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2020/10/11/the-problem-with-the-main-character-meme
  • “This Audio Has Potential:” Platform Lip-sync on TikTok from Journal of Popular Music Studies (2021) 33 (4): 5–9. https://doi-org.libproxy1.usc.edu/10.1525/jpms.2021.33.4.5
  • ‘Splice and the Platformization of Hip Hop Production: Navigating the online music platform for royalty-free samples’, Global Hip Hop Studies, 2:2, pp. 219–36, https://doi.org/10.1386/ghhs_00045_1

This episode of "The Annenverse" is hosted and researched by Journalism student Skye Lee. Recorded and edited by Areon Mobasher. Produced by Olivia Mowry. Additional editing by Braulio Hernandez.

As climate change begins to have wider and more devastating consequences, climate journalism has never been more urgent. But reporters in this field face a variety of obstacles including the politicization of global warming and public distrust.

Two members of USC Annenberg's community share their insights on this complicated and important topic of modern journalism. Allison Agsten is the director of the USC Center for Climate Journalism and Communication, and journalism student Shreya Agrawal is the editor of the Annenberg Media Earth Desk. Led by our host, journalism major Skye Lee, Agsten and Agrawal discuss underrepresentation in climate news, the complexity of climate reporting, the importance of climate literacy and more.

Mentioned:

• Signals and noise. Mass-media coverage of climate change in the USA and the UK by Maxwell T Boykoff and S Ravi Rajan - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1808044/
• USC Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication - https://climatecenter.usc.edu/
• Annenberg Media Earth Desk - https://www.uscannenbergmedia.com/earth/

This episode of "The Annenverse" is hosted and researched by Journalism student Skye Lee. Recorded and edited by Areon Mobasher. Produced by Olivia Mowry. Additional editing by Braulio Hernandez.