I want to dedicate my blog post to three issues: first, to all the amazing and successful women I have met during our third week in Phoenix; the insights into media law and the work of US media we gained…
Women in Politics: SUSI Scholars Meet with Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs
Albert Einstein said, “time flies when you are having fun.” Today marks the 17th day since the 2023 SUSI Scholars journalism program began at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School of Journalism. In between the learning, practical sessions, networking and fun, one could…
In the heat of the night…and day!
As I am writing, tiny drops of rain gently knock on my window. There is a pleasant silence. The monsoon season has just started in Arizona: it brings joy and relief, an escape from the agony of the extreme heat.…
Amendment
As the most important law protecting freedom of the press in the U.S., the name “First Amendment” seems quite strange to me at first glance. Amendment? That means this clause was not included originally in the U.S. Constitution. Why not? After…
Opening Up the Discussion About Government, Press & Democracy
The second week of the program promises to be busier with tougher questions on media regulation, protection of freedom of speech and press, and the boundaries of that freedom in the social media age. This Monday Daniel Barr, partner in…
What Should Come First, Please: A Free Press or Prosperity?
In Africa, governments hold an awkward sort of orientation that national economic developments should instigate freedom of expression, and so the idea of free press should be postponed. This has even denied room for the discussion of the subject itself,…
Digital Mind-Reader and Doomed Democracy
Could you imagine a world in which machines and algorithms have become so powerful, smart and precise, that they’re able to predict all your moves, fulfill all your desires, and recognize the slightest changes in your mood? Could it be…
Phoenix, the Colorful City
The beautiful city of Phoenix is in many aspects currently the fastest growing in the United States. It is the fifth biggest city in the country. Economically the city has registered massive growth; transport infrastructure has speedily developed to include…
Our Own Private Vortex
It would be difficult to ask this group of professionals and scholars, “Where are we meeting today?” without getting an array of mostly humorous replies. “Room 444, of course,” would be the simple answer. Far from being a 666 scenario,…
Ideal Democracy Under Threat
American elections and multi-tier democracies are considered the “ideal” for many countries across the globe. Federal- and state-level polls to elect president, senate, congress or bicameral state legislature are unique, and where policy debates have usually taken place. However,…