A Publication of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania MAY 2009 Volume 2, Number 2 On the RECORD

Leonore Annenberg 1918-2009 The Annenberg Public Policy Center IN THIS ISSUE From the mourns the loss of the gracious woman who, with her husband, defined our -mis From the Director 2 sion in 1993 and inspired our work in the Director years that followed. Student Voices, Justice Tribute Learning, FactCheck.org, the National An- 3 nenberg Election Survey, the APPC Ado- Building Blocks for Health 4 lescent Communication Institute and the Policy APPC Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics are among the byproducts of the Campaign ‘08 from the Inside 7 Annenbergs’ commitment to improving the well-being of the nation and its children. Sandra Day O’Connor on 10 This summer, as we install the portraits Democracy of Walter and Lee Annenberg in our el- egant new building and place the Annen- Annenberg Scholars Update 11

Photo: Kyle Cassidy berg motto “citizenship is a person’s most important calling” in its agora, we will Bringing Civics to Life 11 remember their words of encouragement with fondness and rededicate ourselves to meeting the high expectations they had Established in 1993, the Annenberg for our work at the policy center that bears Public Policy Center of the University of their name. Pennsylvania conducts and disseminates research, hosts lectures and conferences, and convenes roundtable discussions that highlight important questions about the Photo: Kyle Cassidy intersection of media, communication and public policy.

The Policy Center, which has offices in and Washington D.C., conducts ongoing research in the areas of political communication, information and society, media and the developing child, health communication and adolescent risk. Its research helps to bring difficult prob- lems into focus.

ON THE RECORD

Susan Q. Stranahan Editor-in-Chief

Karen Riley Leonore Annenberg (right) at the September 2002 announcement of a $100 million Editor special operating trust established for the Annenberg School for Communication and the Annenberg Public Policy Center. Jennifer McCleary Graphic Designer

Gary Gehman Web Director

Front Cover Photo: Leonore Annenberg Annenberg Public Policy Center Photo Credit: Alan Kolc 3535 Market St., Suite 200 Philadelphia, PA 19104 Back Cover: The expertise of scholars at the Annenberg Public Policy Center Phone: (215) 898-9400 is often sought out by media in the U.S. as well as around the globe. Visit the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s website: www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org

 May 2009 • ON THE RECORD www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org Leonore Annenberg: Remembered with Gratitude and Affection

When one thinks of Leonore An- nenberg, what comes immediately to mind is the presence of dignity, of refinement, taste, elegance, in- tegrity and high standards – in short, the presence of a very classy person with a deep sense of civic commitment and an unparalleled Barbara and I were saddened to hear social conscience. One thinks, as of the death of our dear friend Lee well, of her great generosity and her Annenberg. We send our most sin- A Distinguished Daughter of Penn- extraordinary kindness. cere condolences to her family. She sylvania, Lee Annenberg brought to and her late husband, Walter, exem- her role as a trustee the same style Mrs. Annenberg’s life wove togeth- plified service to others and were and sensitivity that benefited our er the themes of art and education, two of God’s very special people. country when she was Chief of Pro- culture and public service, knitting She will be sorely missed. tocol of the United States. Her ap- together a tapestry of honor, ser- preciation and support of excellence vice and vision that put her nation Former President in education, as in the arts, inspired and many others around the world George H. W. Bush Penn to strive toward ever greater deeply in her debt. It was a privi- distinction. As individuals, we will lege to have this remarkable wom- miss her grace, determination and an of grace, vision, passion and Lee Annenberg’s death is a huge most important, her friendship. As compassion as my friend. We will loss for all of us. She was a dear an institution, Penn will miss her all feel her loss for a very long time and longtime friend who provided profound dedication to education to come. tremendous personal support in the and citizenship, and her willingness many years of Ronnie’s illness and to commit her resources to support President, Carnegie Corporation since his death. She served as Ron- those ideals. nie’s Chief of Protocol during our first few years in Washington and Lee and her late husband, Ambas- Lee Annenberg was an extraordi- we spent many wonderful evenings sador Walter Annenberg, were nary person who lived every day with Lee and her husband, Walter. dedicated benefactors whose ex- with elegance, generosity and a traordinary financial contributions dedication to improving the quality Lee and Walter Annenberg were transformed Penn. The impact of of life of her fellow man. Her death unparalleled in their philanthropic their generosity is beyond mea- is a profound loss to all of us who giving that spanned everything sure. Lee and Walter Annenberg’s were fortunate enough to know her. from politics to the arts. They left legacy will continue at Penn in the No two people have been more per- an indelible print on education in many wonderful programs they es- sonally committed to education, the United States and there are mil- tablished and in all the individuals public service and philanthropy lions of young people that have or whose lives they touched. than Lee and Walter Annenberg. will benefit from their extraordi- nary generosity. Amy Gutmann U.S. Rep. David Dreier President, Washington, D.C. Mrs. University of Pennsylvania

www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org ON THE RECORD • May 2009  Delivering the Evidence to Guide Health Policy

The Obama administration has made its For the scholars at the Annenberg Public eo games or surf the Internet may become policies and its priorities clear: Health Policy Center, these are familiar topics. For too tired to exercise or may snack more for care and education have moved to the top politicians and policymakers in Washing- the energy boost. Or, there may be some of the national agenda as programs “abso- ton, they are issues ripe for review. other unexplored mechanism researchers lutely critical to the nation’s future,” in the have yet to discover. president’s words. Innovation and reform fff – new approaches to address long-standing Not all kids are equally at risk. For those problems – will be given a fast track and Amy Jordan has long studied the impact who are genetically predisposed to being increased federal funding. of media on children, and has been at the overweight, who have limited opportuni- forefront of national research into media ties or incentives to exercise, or who don’t But before additional billions are poured usage and childhood obesity. (Last year have healthy food options, “media may be into these initiatives, existing programs she served as special editor of an issue of the tipping point,” Jordan says. She has and new proposals will be subjected to a The Annals of the American Academy of proposed research on the bedtime habits critical standard: Evidence that they work. Political and Social Science devoted to of 4- to 5-year-olds. Although childhood overweight and obesity in children.) obesity has leveled off in other age groups, “This is an administration that wants evi- it has not in these youngsters. “This is an dence before, instead of after it makes Recently, Jordan became interested in mea- age where we can still intervene,” she ex- policy,” said Amy Jordan, director of the suring how children’s bedtime routines af- plained. Media and the Developing Child area of fect obesity. “Kids who don’t sleep enough the Annenberg Public Policy Center. As a are at greater risk for being overweight,” That intervention may be difficult – for result, she believes, decision-making will she said. The reason is not clear. Kids who kids and parents. In all probability, any so- be grounded in facts and responsive to watch TV late into the night, who play vid- lution will involve parents and lifestyles. emerging scholarship. Photo: John Vettese The evidence will come from data com- piled by researchers, including those at the Annenberg Public Policy Center whose work involves a number of the health poli- cy issues now being discussed in Washing- ton. Among the questions are these:

What factors are triggering the surge in childhood obesity and what behavioral changes could reduce the problem? What strategies can protect children from sexual content in the media but not run afoul of the First Amendment? What works – and what doesn’t – to convince kids to avoid cigarettes or practice safe sex? How best to provide adolescents with accessible in- formation about sex without also leaving Research by Amy Jordan (left) and Amy Bleakley focuses on issues as diverse as them open to exploitation online? obesity in young children and “sexting” by adolescents.

 May 2009 • ON THE RECORD www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org “You can’t change kids’ media behaviors content on individual handheld devices, nology, how to effectively deliver it to an without changing the whole family envi- such as cell phones, makes adult oversight age-appropriate audience? ronment.” difficult, if not impossible. Although there are many unanswered “For too long, we’ve been relying on the Sexting represents the latest manifestation questions, Bleakley is sure of one thing: To electronic storyteller,” concedes Jordan. of kids being exposed to sexual informa- get a better understanding of kids’ attitudes Even so, all technology isn’t necessarily tion, explains Amy Bleakley, a research toward sex, researchers’ sights need to be bad and thus a simple “pull the plug” strat- scientist in the Annenberg Public Policy lowered to the 12- to 14-year age group. egy may not solve the problem. What is Center’s Health Communication area. She “By the time we’re looking at affecting needed, she said, is more research to show recently co-authored an article with her those attitudes, 14 to 16 is too old.” what works and what doesn’t. From there, Annenberg colleagues entitled “It Works evidence-based recommendations can be Both Ways: The Relationship Between Ex- fff made. This is an issue that involves edu- posure to Sexual Content in the Media and The incidence rate of HIV is seven times higher among black than among white “You can’t change kids’ media behaviors without Americans. Although adolescents with changing the whole family environment.” HIV/AIDS represent just about five per- Amy Jordan cent of total cases in the U.S., they consti- tute one of the fastest growing groups of newly infected persons. Blacks under the cators, child psychologists, pediatricians Adolescent Sexual Behavior,” published in age of 25 account for nearly two-thirds of and sleep researchers, said Jordan. “Media the journal Media Psychology. those new cases. is such an integral part of everyday life” – even for 4- and 5-year olds – “that just Does sex in the media encourage sexu- How best to target this high-risk group turning off the TV won’t solve the prob- al activity among teens, as some media with HIV-prevention messages? Research lem. We need to find something to fill in watchdogs (and parents) have argued? The from the Annenberg Public Policy Center the gap.” Annenberg research, which draws on data has demonstrated the value of specially tar- from the larger Annenberg Sex and Me- geted television and radio messages. Black fff dia Study of 14- to 16-year olds, provides adolescents are heavy users of media. But evidence for what Bleakley calls a “feed- they can be a skeptical audience. Hence, “Sexting” – sending nude pictures via text back loop.” Sexually active teens seek out to be effective the messages have to strike message – is a new phenomenon, but an sexual content in their media, possibly as home. increasingly common one, according to a an affirmation [feedback] of their -behav recent survey by the National Campaign to ior, while exposure to sexual content in the With a grant from the National Institute of Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. media may cause teens to engage in sexual Mental Health, Annenberg’s Adolescent activity. Risk Communication Institute (ARCI), Twenty percent of teens surveyed reported directed by Dan Romer, teamed up with posting nude pictures or videos of them- “Kids seek out sexual information from the researchers at four universities and MEE selves online or on cell phones, and 39 per- media, possibly because they want infor- Productions, Inc., a Philadelphia com- cent of teens said they are posting sexually mation and often can’t talk to other peo- pany that produces award-winning media suggestive messages. Earlier this year, a ple,” explained Bleakley. As a result, they for black youth. The team created a media prosecutor in upstate Pennsylvania threat- may utilize media sources – and each other campaign that was delivered to adolescent ened to file sexual abuse charges against – to bolster their knowledge and validate audiences in Macon, GA, and Syracuse, three teenagers whose seminude photos their behavior. The role of handheld devic- NY, with Columbia, SC, and Providence, were found by investigators on someone es offers one new – and uncensored – al- RI, serving as comparison cities that did else’s cell phone. ternative to communicating sexual images not receive the ads. Nearly 1,660 adoles- and messages with friends and strangers. cents, ages 14 to 17, were surveyed over a For years, parents have struggled to protect period of 18 months. their children from inappropriate content in “And that has implications for policy,” ex- the media and on the Internet. On average, plained Bleakley. Should the content on The messages had several goals: One de- young people use various forms of media handheld devices somehow be regulated bunked the myth that condoms are un- almost 6.5 hours daily. Through use of or restricted? What is an effective way to comfortable. Another promoted the idea tools like the V-chip or web filters, parents provide teens with the sexual information that waiting to initiate sex demonstrated can achieve a degree of control over what they seek in a method they are comfortable respect for one’s partner and maturity. All their children see. But the flow of explicit using? And if it is through the use of tech- spots featured this tagline: “Life is what

www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org ON THE RECORD • May 2009  Photo: John Vettese The research, underwritten by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has already found that images of tobacco products in films are closely related to national adult smoking rates. However, scenes that show important characters smoking are more closely related to adolescent smoking rates that are not declining as fast. “Great efforts will be needed to impose ‘R’ ratings on movies that show the stars smoking,” said Jamieson. “Although movie smoking may seem glamorous to youth, getting hooked on smoking has life-threatening conse- quences.” fff

Amy Jordan, Dan Romer and others at Undergraduates (from l to r) Gabe Baltazar, Mary Beth Fender and Andrea Kohn code APPC see an opportunity for the research ARCI’s database of popular movies for risky behaviors such as smoking. at the Annenberg Public Policy Center to expand and provide much-needed guid- you make it. Be Safe. If you are sexually films, where smoking can be portrayed as ance to lawmakers and policymakers in active, there’s only one way to protect sophisticated or a sign of rebellion. While Washington as they wade into improving yourself for sure…Use a condom correctly the effects of tobacco advertising are well- health policy and programs. In the area of every time.” Each ad featured hip-hop mu- documented, less is known about how pop- communication alone, a wide gap exists sic and black adolescent actors. The early ular media have influenced impressionable that must be bridged. results of the campaign will be reported in youth to engage in risky behavior such as a special issue of the American Journal of smoking. As part of a long-term effort by “There is a generation of kids who are Public Health. ARCI, led by Associate Director Patrick using new media technology that we as Jamieson, the Media and Health Coding adults don’t understand,” Jordan explained. “We wanted to produce a range of effects, Project (online at www.youthmediarisk. “We need to get a handle on how it affects from behavior changes in the most at-risk org) has examined trends in film portray- lives.” segments of the population to changes in als of smoking since 1950 to determine if beliefs and attitudes among those less at they are related to youth and adult smoking And, she added, “We need to do a better risk,” said Romer. “Although the media rates. job in making sure our research is heard campaign has only just ended, our findings and understood.” f to date indicate that the messages are reso- nating. The use of mass media messages to encourage safer behavior in the high- Letter to the Editor, , Dec. 17, 2008 est-risk adolescents and changes in norms among all youth appears to be a promising “There is a big difference between the verbal warning labels used strategy. We are now planning research to see if the changes produced by the cam- on packs of cigarettes in the United States and the more graphic paign can persist as adolescents age.” pictures used in Canada….When tested in the United States, the Canadian warnings appear to be far more effective for both fff smokers and nonsmokers than the bland statements we now use. After a nearly decade-long fight, Congress appears poised to give the Food and Drug “What little we know about the brain’s addiction center indicates Administration the authority to regulate that it responds not only to potentially addictive cues but also to any tobacco products. Of special concern are that signal uncertainty about rewards and penalties. Could those those products marketed to attract – and labels actually be effective in creating doubt in smokers regarding hook – young smokers, a segment of the population where tobacco use has not de- their dangerous habit?” clined as quickly as it has among adults. The promotion of tobacco use among teens Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Dan Romer comes in many forms, including popular

 May 2009 • ON THE RECORD www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org Photo: John Vettese

BEHIND THE SCENES: Campaign ’08 strategists talk candidly

Every presidential campaign is “a race sessments of the strengths and weaknesses was dead broke.” Finances dictated that the to the top of the mountain,” according to of the campaigns from those who labored campaign join forces with the Republican Steve Schmidt, senior advisor to John Mc- 24/7 to get their messages heard and their National Committee to produce “hybrid” Cain’s 2008 quest for the White House. “In candidates elected. As in 2000 and 2004, ads, promoting McCain but also target- our case, it felt as if the Obama campaign an edited transcript of the debriefings will ing opponents or issues, such as “liberals was walking up the side of the mountain on be published in book form, with an accom- in Congress.” These hybrid ads made “no paths….On our side of the mountain, you panying DVD, this summer by the Univer- sense,” said Schmidt, and were described needed ropes and ice axes and any slip led sity of Pennsylvania Press. as “like watching a Fellini film on acid.” to certain death.” Ultimately, the McCain team went its Although bitter rivals during the long and historic presidential contest, the campaign tacticians expressed admiration for the work of the other side. “It was a brilliant campaign,” Schmidt told David Axelrod, Barack Obama’s media advisor. Axelrod replied: “I think we all have a lot of respect for each other. We know what it entails to be involved in these campaigns. And we know that we’re all motivated by the same impulse to try to do something good within the system for the country.” Photo: John Vettese Photo: Jeremy Quattlebaum Steve Schmidt The financial disparities between the two David Axelrod campaigns exerted a powerful influence In a freewheeling and candid discussion on strategies and opportunities, both sides own way on advertising, but by then, said of the 2008 presidential campaign, 11 top agreed. John McCain depended on public Schmidt, it was too late to deliver a signa- Democratic and Republican strategists financing for his campaign. Barack Obama ture message for the candidate. gathered in Philadelphia in mid-Decem- opted out of public financing. As a result, ber for a private post-election debriefing, the Obama team operated with a war chest By contrast, the Obama team developed convened by the Annenberg Public Policy that seemed bottomless. one of the most tightly focused mes- Center. A week later, a public debriefing sage machines in American politics. For by independent expenditure groups that In July 2007, when Schmidt joined the 22 months, there was just one message: crafted presidential campaign messages McCain team, the campaign was “upside “Change we can believe in.” “We didn’t was held in Washington, hosted by APPC’s down and in a ditch,” he told his audience. deviate,” said Plouffe. Nor did the candi- FactCheck.org. Eight months later, when Sen. McCain date. secured the Republican nomination, “the Both sessions provided unvarnished as- campaign office had 37 people in it and “If you look at our announcement speech

www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org ON THE RECORD • May 2009  in Springfield [Ill.] on February 10th, “He looked like a president of the United nominating convention in Denver in late 2007, many of its core elements were in States. Everything about him, from how August pleased with the stirring speech de- the speech he gave November 3rd [2008] in articulate he is, to the eloquence and grace- livered by their candidate. As they sat on Manassas, Virginia, at 11 o’clock.” fulness of his physical movements. He the plane, their Blackberries started “going looked tremendous.” nuts,” recalled Axelrod. John McCain had That message control filtered down to the chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his run- grassroots level. “We wanted those volun- Although it earned their candidate high ning mate. teers at the door on October 20th in Roa- marks, the Obama team knew the trip had noke, Virginia, to be as crisp in what they its risks. “[I]t was a high-wire act and there For McCain, the choice was every bit as were saying as our advertising and our were many places where the thing could calculated as Obama’s selection of Dela- [candidate] was,” said Plouffe. “And the have gone awry,” recalled Axelrod. “Tip- ware Senator Joe Biden a week earlier. only way to have that done was maintain- toeing through Israeli politics or any num- Biden brought to the table “a few gray ing control over everything.” ber of other places, where something could hairs and a long resume,” said Axelrod, have gone wrong. But it went well.” offsetting Obama’s lack of experience in foreign affairs. Photo: Acaben, http://commons.wikimedia.org/ wiki/File:Flickr_Obama_Springfield_01.jpg Palin also was handpicked to send a mes- sage to voters, said senior advisor Nicolle Wallace, who noted that Palin’s selection “was the first secret the McCain campaign actually kept.”

“He sought a running mate who had done some of the same things that he had done, had stood up to special interests, had stood up to her own party, had taken a stand against corruption and was a doer and a From the day he announced his candidacy in Springfield, Ill., Barack Obama’s player on the national energy scene,” said message never deviated. Wallace.

The campaign took heat from some in the So well, in fact, there was pushback The media jumped all over Palin, spoof- Democratic Party for not sharing its coat- – something that happened every time “it ing her interview with NBC’s Katie Cou- tails – or fundraising clout. The Obama looked like we were getting too big for our ric, probing the private lives of her family, team didn’t budge despite “tough inter- britches,” said Axelrod. “I think there was criticizing her inability to answer substan- nal discussions” with party leaders, said a sense that Barack Obama had enormous tive questions. Although McCain and his Plouffe. “Most of them didn’t think it was potential but people weren’t sure whether advisors believed Palin held her own, they going to work to their benefit but in the he had earned this opportunity [to be presi- were dismayed at the news media during end, it did.” dent]. They wanted him to prove it….And the campaign. Especially McCain.

Inside the McCain campaign, Schmidt and his colleagues labored to distance their “Senator Obama looked as if he should be standing candidate from an increasingly unpopular president. Iraq, said Schmidt, “did as much on the world stage. He looked like a president of the as any other issue to injure [McCain] polit- United States. Everything about him, from how articulate ically and to diminish the difference in his he is, to the eloquence and gracefulness of his physical brand, his difference from the president. movements.” When McCain backed a troop surge in Iraq, his numbers rose. Then came Barack Steve Schmidt Obama’s July trip to Iraq, the Middle East and Europe, culminating in a huge outdoor I think that’s reasonable. I think they want- “John McCain was sad that the media had rally in Berlin. ed to know that this guy was ready to be changed so drastically from 2000,” said president of the United States.” Wallace. “The media in 2000 was a press “Senator Obama looked as if he should be corps that got on a bus and spent a day talk- standing on the world stage,” said Schmidt. The Obama team left the Democratic ing [with the candidate] about an issue….

 May 2009 • ON THE RECORD www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org The media of 2008 would get on a bus leg Dunn also credited the work of indepen- we had.” in the middle of a conversation, type out dent organizations such as APPC’s Fact- a blog about how his sock was down or Check.org for researching the candidates’ Third-party ads also proved to be success- didn’t match his shoe.” claims and weighing in on their veracity. ful, the panelists noted. One in particular These “referees ended up playing a signifi- generated a huge response. Shortly after Sarah Palin was selected, the Defenders of Wildlife, which has a strong base in her “John McCain was sad that the media had changed so home state of Alaska, decided to act. drastically from 2000….The media of 2008 would get on a bus leg in the middle of a conversation, type out a With a budget of about $6,000, the organi- zation put together a 60-second ad describ- blog about how his sock was down or didn’t match his ing Palin’s support for aerial hunting of shoe.” wolves, with a $150 bounty for a severed Nicolle Wallace leg, and bought air time in Ohio and on the internet. The ad became a story on its own, was featured in Saturday Night Live skits “The media has an impulse control prob- cant role,” said Dunn. Their findings, she and in a New Yorker cartoon, and generated lem,” added Wallace. “It cannot help itself added, carried credibility with the voting more than $1 million in contributions. from jumping on the seediest or the most public and were often cited by the cam- unseemly or the most unsubstantiated ru- paigns themselves. From the audience came a question: Does mor.” Obama’s success spell the end for publicly FactCheck hosted its own debriefing in financed elections? Lawrence R. Scanlon Anita Dunn, who was on Obama’s cen- Washington, inviting representatives from Jr., director of the political action depart- tral communications team, was also criti- the Republican and Democratic national ment of the American Federation of State, cal. “The nature of campaign coverage in committees as well as interest groups as di- County and Municipal Employees, which 2008 was totally reactive. It was non-stop. There was no context and no analysis. I was shocked for at least two days, until we figured out exactly how we wanted to play it.”

And how they elected to play it was to “communicate around the filter” of the media. “We decided very quickly that we were going to force the media to actually cover the campaign on our terms.” There Photos: John Vettese would be no leaks, no backstories doled Nicolle Wallace, Anita Dunn, and David Plouffe out to favored members of the media – and strict limits placed on access to the candi- date, especially on national print journal- verse as Freedom’s Watch, Planned Parent- spent more than $84 million in the 2007- ists. hood and Defenders of Wildlife to discuss 2008 election cycle, responded: getting their messages across during the “I don’t think so because [Obama’s] a very Like Wallace, Dunn had harsh words for the 2008 election season. unique candidate and they clearly have media’s failure to focus on substance. “The the magic elixir, but a lot of other candi- place where I think the press [produced] its Rich Beeson, political director of the Re- dates don’t have that….I think there will worst coverage of the general election was publican National Committee, reiterated be some candidates who will want to take in the total absence of any kind of scrutiny Steve Schmidt’s frustration about the effec- advantage of the system.” of the issue on which we spent the most tiveness of so-called “hybrid” ads. “You money in the general election, health care.” don’t get as clean of a hit as you do with a Steve Schmidt, McCain’s strategist, thinks The only in-depth reporting on the differ- straight candidate ad,” Beeson said. Noting differently. To be successful the next Re- ences in the two candidates’ positions on that the Obama campaign had $746 million publican nominee will have to raise close health care came from local media, said at its disposal, he said, “We brought a knife to $1 billion, he told the Philadelphia au- Dunn. to a gun fight and we had to do everything dience. As a result, “public financing is that we could to maximize the resources over.” f

www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org ON THE RECORD • May 2009  Democracy: The Implications of Ignorance Scholars learn while mining APPC data Americans lack basic knowledge about have made are reduced to slogans, and the judicial branch of government and the “faithfulness to the law is subordinated to crucial role an independent judiciary plays sound bites.” in our democracy, said retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor at the The contentiousness of judicial elections third annual Leonore Annenberg Lecture in erodes public confidence in the impartial- Public Service and Global Understanding, ity of those sitting on the bench. “We have presented Nov. 21 at the Annenberg School to educate people about the value of an in- for Communication. dependent judiciary,” O’Connor told her audience. And the place to begin is in the Particularly worrisome is how little young schools. Unfortunately, she noted, half of people understand – or care, she observed. the states have eliminated civics and gov- ernment as a part of their curricula. Citing data gathered by the Annenberg Pub- lic Policy Center, Justice O’Connor noted It is possible to engage young people in that while nearly two-thirds of Americans government and politics, she said. “We saw can name at least one of the judges on Fox Justice Sandra Day O’Connor speaks that in the [presidential] election.” The way Television’s American Idol program, less on the judiciary, democracy and to build interest is to utilize technologies than one in 10 can identify the chief justice engaging the next generation. popular among students – blogging, text of the United States. Even worse, she add- messaging, social networks and interactive ed, “most young people aren’t interested, for the Illinois Supreme Court raised a total games. O’Connor noted that the Annen- frankly, in the chief justice of the United of $9.3 million. berg Public Policy Center has been active States.” in helping devise some of the interactive “That’s amazing to me,” said O’Connor. “I teaching tools used in Our Courts. Voters in three-fourths of the states elect used to be a state supreme court judge [in their judges, yet the public often does not Arizona]. If I ever raised over $500, I can’t Returning to the subject of judicial inde- understand the role the judiciary plays. remember it.” pendence, O’Connor told her audience “Think about the implication of this igno- that the courts and judges cannot protect rance for the continuing vitality of our na- “The frightening part is these election dol- themselves against special interests that tion,” O’Connor warned. lars are [funding] one of the major sources seek to affect the outcome of litigation by of information [the public receives] about influencing who occupies the bench. “We O’Connor, who served 25 years as an asso- the role of the judiciary.” But that informa- need to educate the public that [judicial] ciate justice before retiring in 2006, has be- come an advocate for public education in “These ads are to judicial selection what french fries are civics, especially for young people. She is the guiding force behind a free, interactive to nutrition.” instructional program for middle school Sandra Day O’Connor students called “Our Courts.” In addition, she speaks frequently about the dangers of tion often comes in the form of incomplete accountability and judicial independence costly and contentious judicial elections and sometimes inflammatory television are two sides of the same coin,” she said. around the country. Both subjects were ads. “Accountability ensures that judges per- high on her agenda during this speech, form their constitutional role and judicial entitled “The Constitution, the Courts and “These ads are to judicial selection what independence allows judges to avoid out- Civic Education.” french fries are to nutrition,” she contin- side pressures that would pull them out of ued. “Full of information but very little of that role.” State judicial elections have become in- it is helpful, and some of it is downright creasingly nasty and expensive, O’Connor harmful.” “If our citizens have a good education told her audience, triggering a funding about what our system of government is all “arms race.” These days, a state judicial TV ads often misrepresent facts and are de- about,” she concluded, “I think our nation campaign can cost as much as a race for a signed to frighten voters, she said. Com- will be in good hands.”f U.S. Senate seat. In 2006, two candidates plicated legal decisions the candidate may

10 May 2009 • ON THE RECORD www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org Scholars learn while mining APPC data Bringing Civics to Life

During their first year, the three fellows at The next generation of national leaders – ties and responsibilities of these offices the new Annenberg Center for Advanced students now in middle and high school and those who fill them. Their discus- Study in Communication have been busy – knows alarmingly little about how sions and question-and-answer sessions digging and learning, trolling through the democracy works. One national survey will be recorded and made available in vast storehouse of data amassed by the An- showed that a third of students couldn’t communication formats teens frequently nenberg Public Policy Center, and honing even name the governor of their state. use. Among the offerings will be the Our their skills in the postdoctoral world. Constitution Card Game, an interactive It was the goal of Leonore Annenberg, video game compatible for web brows- For Sally Dunlop, who holds a doctorate who believed deeply in the value of ing and smart phones. in psychology from the University of Mel- civics education, to erase that lack of bourne, the two-year fellowship has been knowledge. In endowing the Leonore While creativity and imagination are be- a welcome change from the intense focus Annenberg Institute for Civics last year, ing applied to the instructional offerings, of writing a dissertation. Now, she’s free to she hoped to engage young people in the Institute is carefully tailoring its ma- work on smaller projects. “That’s a more how government functions at all levels. terials to meet National Social Studies realistic way to work,” she said. “I like Standards. Schools in four states already having a few things going on. When you Forget musty old civics textbooks. The have signed on to use the curricula. hit a block on one subject, you can move new Institute will develop curricula that on to the other.” Dunlop, who hopes to re- involve those on democracy’s front lines. Drawing on additional programming turn to Australia at the end of the fellowship Innovation is the key. materials produced by the Annenberg and work in the area of public health, has Public Policy Center, including the studied the influence of the media on ado- Work has already begun. Two videos de- award-winning FactCheckEd.org, An- lescents’ use of seatbelts. She’s also delved scribing the structure and jurisdiction of nenberg Classroom and Student Voices, into APPC’s database on teen smoking and the federal courts have been completed, the information and lesson plans will be marketing. featuring judges themselves. An interac- diverse. Materials will be continuously tive diagram of the court system is avail- updated. Priya Nalkur-Pai, who holds a doctorate able for students and teachers. And an in education from Harvard, has been im- interactive DVD providing an overview Early next year, students will attend the proving her quantitative research skills to of the court system, including a legal National Governors Association meeting supplement her qualitative research expe- lexicon from landmark Supreme Court in Washington, where they will confer rience. She finds the freedom to explore a cases and courtroom simulations, is be- with top state executives to ask about wide range of topics on adolescent devel- ing prepared. the function of state government, its opment rewarding. relevance in the federal system and the Over the coming year, high school stu- powers and limitations of the office of Nalkur-Pai, Dunlop and the third fellow, dents will meet with governors, judges governor. Government classes boring? Cortney Evans, whose doctorate is in mar- and legislators to hear firsthand the du- Not any more. f riage, family and human development from Brigham Young University, have also participated in programs of guest speakers, FactCheck Wins Again sessions on grant-writing and applying for For the third year in a row, FactCheck. for their favorite sites. Other People’s jobs as well as writing for scholarly jour- org has been named the best political Voice winners in this year’s voting in- nals. Web site in the 2009 Webby “People’s cluded Wired.com, the Huffington Post Voice” competition. As the leading inter- blog and Flickr. Amy Jordan, who directs the center, also national award honoring excellence on rates the first year a success. “I can’t be the Internet, the Webbys are presented “We’re pleased that our readers val- more pleased with how the cohort has by the International Academy of Digital ue the information we provide,” said jelled. They’ve been very productive. Arts and Sciences. This is the 13th year Brooks Jackson, director of FactCheck. APPC has given them a lot of opportunities the awards have been presented. org. “That’s what inspires us to keep on they otherwise would not have had.” f sorting through the spin and holding pol- Winners of the People’s Voice category iticians accountable.” f are chosen by Web users who cast votes

www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org ON THE RECORD • May 2009 11 A Publication of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania

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APPC MAkes Sense of Politics to thOSE AROUND THE World

Source: typos.com.cy, the online newspaper of Cyprus, http://www.typos.com.cy/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=96388

Source: The Australian, http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24500326-5013948,00.html

Source: la Repubblica.it, Italy, http://www.repubblica.it/news/giochi_e_scommesse/rep_giochi_scommesse_n_005749.html 12 May 2009 • ON THE RECORD www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org