Full disclosure
Associate Professor of Journalism Venise Wagner was quoted in a Sept. 3 Mediamatters.org report about political commentator George Will's past and potential conflicts of interest. "Will is a columnist and his conservative views are no secret. Nor are his connections with conservative causes and money. He could make the argument that people know he is a pundit with a strong point of view," Wagner said. But "the average audience member likely is not clear about what Will has to gain by supporting these conservative causes. Does he support these causes because he believes them to be true? Or does financial gain have something to do with it? Full disclosures of connections a pundit or journalist has with a source is paramount to developing credibility."
Science fact meets science fiction
Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy Stephen Kane commented on the use of known exoplanets in the upcoming game "Civilization: Beyond Earth" for a Sept. 4 Escapist Magazine article. "Instead of having planets that are randomly generated, players will be able to pick and choose the planet that they go to, knowing that that planet actually exists, and they can look up all kinds of information about the planet discovery," said Kane. "I think that adds an enormous extra layer of imagination for the players, knowing that these planets are out there. This is an incredible enhancement to the gaming experience and, in general, for science fiction."
Courting a generation
A Sept. 4 U.S. News & World Report article about Sen. John Cornyn of Texas courting Chinese and Vietnamese Americans featured commentary by Professor of Asian American Studies Russell Jeung. While Vietnamese Americans who fled from Communism "are more inclined to vote Republican ... the Chinese-American population is shifting as a second generation comes to vote. They tend to become more liberal," Jeung said. "Anti-immigrant rhetoric of the Republicans really hurts them. They need to soften their language."
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