News In Context

In this episode, we explore the current state of news, and how the way news is presented in the U.S. has shifted during the pandemic, including a greater acceptance of emotion in news coverage, and a discussion of the role of objectivity and how to navigate biases to report contextually and inform audiences. My guest is John Zipperer… Vice President of Media & Editorial at The Commonwealth Club ,...

In this episode, we explore how Asian Americans are framed in mainstream news and media, and how that framing informs our understanding and discourse around stories of anti-Asian violence - including the shooting of six Asian women and two others in Atlanta, and the multiple incidents of hate and violence against Asians here in the Bay Area. My guests are KCBS Reporter Holly Quan, and Wei Ming Dar...

In this episode, we explore how journalists experience trauma and manage - or fail to manage - the stressors that are inherent to the job. My guest is Misha LeClair, a former Bay Area TV news producer, who decided to switch careers as an act of self-care - walking away from a profession she had dedicated nearly 20 years to - after realizing that she was being negatively impacted by the cumulative...

In this episode, we discuss domestic violence – an issue that affects one third of women and teen girls in the U.S. As the COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread sheltering in place, the situation has only gotten worse. Many domestic violence advocates are calling attention to the fact that this, too, is an epidemic, and we need to do more to prevent it. My guest is Katharine Berg, director of co...

In this episode, we explore issues of free expression, privacy, and the roles of corporate and government entities in moderating social media content and platforms. As digital media takes a central place in communication and information sharing, how do we navigate the balance between free speech, safety, privacy, and harm. My guest is Danny O'Brien, director of strategy at the Electronic Frontier...

In this episode, we explore how to inform publics through a nonprofit journalism model, and the importance of bringing journalists together and supporting them, so they can serve their publics and hold power accountable. My guest is Dave Kaplan – executive director of the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) . GIJN supports investigative journalists around the world, as they do the diffi...

In this episode, we explore how unconscious bias has influenced news coverage - by defaulting to favor mainstream society and failing to adequately tell the full stories of marginalized communities, including women and transgender people, people of color, and communities lower on the socioeconomic spectrum. My guest is Keith Woods, chief diversity officer at NPR. Keith has been working for much of...

In this episode, we talk with Glenn Kessler, editor… and chief writer of the Washington Post Fact Checker … and credited with doing the first official fact check during the 1996 Presidential campaign… ahead of a debate between Bill Clinton and Bob Dole.   Kessler is also co-author of the book… Donald Trump and His Assault on Truth: The President’s Falsehoods, Misleading Claims and Flat-Out Lies …...

In this episode we explore how trauma and stress impact journalists, as well as an evolving sensibility among those who practice journalism that self-care and safety must become more integral parts of the work of informing the public, bringing information to light, and holding power to account. This conversation had begun prior to 2020, but it has come into focus in recent months - with the COVID-...

In this episode, we explore the journalistic norms that have driven the profession, and why evolving those norms could lead to stronger coverage of the stories that affect us. This includes using more inclusive language, seeking sources outside the realms of official authorities, and striving for newsroom diversity. My guest is Steve Bien-Aime, Ph. D., Assistant Professor of Journalism at Northern...

Welcome to News in Context. I’m Gina Baleria. In this episode, we take a closer look at journalism – in particular how news outlets covered the 2020 presidential campaign and local and national elections, including the candidates and communities. What worked? Where were journalists challenged? and where does the field of journalism go from here? My guests are: Martin G. Reynolds, Co-executive dire...

In this episode, we talk with four college students from and/or attending school in the Bay Area - all of them taking classes right now online. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the majority of schools across the country to move classes online – both K-12 and higher ed. The goal is to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in colleges, where students may come to the college from another commu...

In this episode, we talk with four college students from and/or attending school in the Bay Area - all of them taking classes right now online. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the majority of schools across the country to move classes online – both K-12 and higher ed. The goal is to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in colleges, where students may come to the college from another commu...

In this episode, we talk with four college students from and/or attending school in the Bay Area - all of them taking classes right now online. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the majority of schools across the country to move classes online – both K-12 and higher ed. The goal is to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially in colleges, where students may come to the college from another commu...

In this episode, we talk with John Wood, Jr., national ambassador for Braver Angels , an organization also working to build relationships across the divides that fracture Americans. John discusses how Braver Angels is working to bridge the divides that fracture us and build community.

In this episode, we take a closer look at the response among many in the medical and public health communities to the president’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, his own diagnosis, and the national response to U.S. citizens reeling from those choices. My guest is Dr. Mike Reid, Assistant Professor of Medicine at UCSF, and Associate Director of the Center for Global Health Diplomacy, Delivery &...

In this episode, we seek to make sense of the recent New York Times articles about the President’s tax returns. We also explore the U.S. tax system - in particular who benefits, who doesn’t, and how the tax code reflects and doesn’t reflect our goals and priorities. My guests are Annette Nellen, professor in taxation at San Jose State University , and Matthew Gardner, Senior Fellow at the Institut...

In this episode, we explore how some tenets of media literacy can be co-opted by conspiracy theorists, and how to approach media literacy education in a way that ensures students have the skills and abilities to navigate this landscape and assess information holistically. My guest is Renee Hobbs – professor of communication studies at the Harrington School of Communication and Media at the Univers...

In this episode, we explore the allure and growing influence of conspiracy theories, and how they are both combated by and influenced by Media Literacy. This includes the role of conspiracy theories in our sociopolitical context, and the issues and challenges in our current marketplace of ideas - in the classroom, on social media, and in our public discourse. My guest is Dr. Renee Hobbs, professor...

In this episode, we explore the influence and impact of framing - in particular how mainstream news tends to frame national issues as gamified, two-sided face-offs -  democrat vs. republican... conservative vs. progressive… this politician vs. that politician. This can happen even when the two-sided frame is not actually relevant, and it can lead to an erosion of understanding among news audiences...

In this episode, we explore California’s history of and relationship to fire, in particular how native populations worked with fire, and how colonizers from Europe suppressed and prohibited cultural fire management with what we now know are devastating consequences. Over the past four years, the Golden State has battled ever more massive and destructive wildfires, prompting many to call out the im...

In this episode, we explore California’s dynamic and shifting climate, which impacts so much across the Bay area, region, and state, including our weather, our water, our land, our crops, our snowpack, and our air. Just during the past few weeks, we have seen an intense heat wave and spectacular and devastating lightning storms that sparked hundreds of wildland fires all over the Bay Area and Nort...

In this episode, we talk about the post office with Dr. Richard R. John, Professor of History & Communications in the Columbia Journalism School at Columbia University. Dr. John teaches courses on the history of communications, capitalism, and American political development - and all of these factors have played out – in part – via the post office. The U.S. Postal Service has found itself in focus...

In this episode, we explore allyship - How to support black people and other people of color in the fight for equity, protection from police brutality, and to dismantle systemic racism. We also discuss how allyship can go wrong when well-meaning white people take the mantle of ally but fail to check in with black leadership or center black people. My guests are: John Jones, III, Director of Commun...

In this episode, I continue my conversation with three Bay Area theatre makers of color who are working to ensure diverse voices and stories are heard and represented… both on stage… and throughout the threatre ecosystem. We also discuss the importance of looking at the issues and challenges we face through different lenses… and how the arts can guide us.   My guests are Beatrice Thomas, Interdisc...