Becker Communication Studies Building , Becker Auditorium
25 South Madison Street, Iowa City, IA 52245
Professor Michael Schudson of Columbia University will be presenting on April 22, 7pm in 101 BCSB (Becker Auditorium). After offering a definition of ‘the American dream’ (or American ‘dreams’ in the plural) and who is seen as eligible to pursue it, this presentation explores criticism of the contemporary media and asks if the media endanger the fulfillment of those dreams by encouraging political polarization, by questioning traditional authority, and by preoccupation with the eccentric and extreme. Do the media, in search of clicks, evoke fears rather than shared dreams? Using the prism of ‘the American dream’ this presentation offers a different and sobering assessment of the role of the news media in society.