Daphne Matziaraki Accepts the 2017 Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square
Newport, R.I. – Standing in front of a sold-out audience on June 5, 2017, documentary filmmaker Daphne Matziaraki accepted the 2017 Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square. The prize, awarded annually since 2013, honors a storyteller whose work has significantly influenced the public dialogue. Matziaraki, whose short documentary “4.1 Miles” was nominated for an Academy Award, returned to her native Greece to capture footage of the refugee … Read More
June 17, 2017 – “Story in the Public Square”
The media’s role in modern American politics is that of investigator, arbitrator, and even king maker. Guest Thomas Patterson argues that, contrary to popular belief, media bias is not about left and right, but about positive and negative. Patterson is Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is the author of Informing the News: The Need for Knowledge-Based Journalism, The Vanishing … Read More
June 10, 2017 “Story in the Public Square”
Music and art, like storytelling, are distinctively human creations. Guest Joseph “Butch” Rovan works in both media to tell stories, challenge assumptions, and explore our humanity. Joseph Butch Rovan is the faculty director of the Brown Arts Initiative (BAI), a new program at Brown University that supports forward-thinking and cutting-edge artists – including those whose work responds to contemporary issues and creates awareness of them. In addition to directing the … Read More
June 3, 2017 – “Story in the Public Square”
In the aftermath of the Second World War, political leaders built a global system of free trade because they believed it was crucial to world peace. Like so much of the post-war order, that belief is under assault in the 21st century. Guest Karen Tramontano argues that free trade agreements can serve their original purpose even while helping workers. Karen Tramontano is currently the CEO and co-founder of Blue Star … Read More
“Story in the Public Square” May 27, 2017
With allegations of a cover-up and obstruction of justice circulating in Washington, Americans in 2017 are looking to the presidency of Richard Nixon for precedent and understanding. Our guest, John Farrell, literally wrote the book on Nixon’s life after his own career covering politics in Washington, DC. John Farrell is the author of Richard Nixon: The Life, the best-selling and widely critically acclaimed biography of the 37th president of the … Read More
May 20, 2017 – “Story in the Public Square”
After the 2008 election of President Barack Obama, Time Magazine asked if we had entered a post-racial America. From the perspective of 2017, the question seems ridiculous. Tricia Rose argues, in fact, that structural racism is the key driver of inequality in the United States. Rose is currently Chancellor’s Professor of Africana Studies and the Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America at Brown … Read More
May 13, 2017 – “Story in the Public Square”
Anthony Leiserowitz discusses communicating climate change to Americans on this week’s episode.
May 6, 2017 – “Story in the Public Square”
Chemicals weapons are in the news again following their use against civilians in Syria. Western audiences might most commonly associate chemical weapons with the first World War a century ago, but this week’s guest Narges Bajoghli shares stories from veterans of a more recent conflict – the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980’s. Narges Bajoghli is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in International and Public Affairs at the Watson Institute at Brown University, … Read More
April 29, 2017 – “Story in the Public Square”
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 50 million adult Americans live with a diagnosable mental health disorder. Despite its prevalence, our guest Paul Gionfriddo confronts a lot of myths in the discussion of mental health issues in America. Gionfriddo is President and CEO of Mental Health America. He has worked in a variety of health and mental-health related positions during a career spanning over thirty years. In … Read More
April 22, 2017 – “Story in the Public Square”
According to the U.S. intelligence community, Russia intervened in America’s 2016 presidential campaign to benefit one candidate. As shocking as that revelation was, guest Alina Polyakova warns it’s all part of a broader pattern of Russian efforts directed against the West. Dr. Alina Polyakova is the Director of Research for Europe and Eurasia at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. She is the author of The Dark Side of European … Read More