Analysis of the L.A. Mayoral Debate; Iraq Update; Supreme Court Rules on the Media's Neutral Reporting Privilege; Washington vs. Hollywood
Analysis of the L.A. Mayoral Debate
Incumbent Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn and Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa debated last night at Cal State Northridge. Experts Kermin Maddox, political analyst and owner of Dakota Communications, and Carol Platt-Liebau, attorney, political analyst, and commentator join Guest Host Jon Beaupre to discuss the debate.
Iraq Update
The Terry Schiavo case has all but eclipsed news out of Iraq, but the conflict--and the nation-building--continues. The new government is on the verge of being formed, after the January 30th vote and the March 16th swearing-in ceremony for the 275-member National Assembly. As the insurgency continues, the largely Shiite majority is reaching out to Sunnis, with offers of government positions. What place will religion have in the new government? When will the Iraqis be ready to assume control of their security? Experts Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and a Senior Advisor to the Center for Defense Information, and Christopher Allbritton, Time magazine reporter based in Baghdad join guest Host Jon Beaupre to give an update on the situation in Iraq.
Supreme Court Rules on the Media's Neutral Reporting Privilege
The Supreme Court today refused to shield the media from reporting a politician’s false statements, upholding a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling where a newspaper can be forced to pay damages for having reported that a city councilman called the mayor and the council president "liars," "queers" and "child molesters." Should the press be free to report what political rivals say about each other, without having to fact-check every statement? Experts John Eastman, Professor of law, specializing in constitutional law and legal history at Chapman University, and Peter Sheer, Executive Director of the California First Amendment Coalition join guest host Jon Beaupre to talk about this important development in media law.
Washington vs. Hollywood
Earlier this month, the chairmen of the Senate and House committees overseeing the broadcast industry said they were considering action that would make cable TV outlets such as HBO or MTV subject to the same indecency rules as network broadcasters. Recently, the New York Times reported that a number of Imax theaters, including some in science museums, have refused to exhibit movies that mention evolution or the big-bang theory, fearing protests from religious groups who object to films that don't support biblical descriptions of the origins of Earth. An official at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History said the museum had decided against showing a science film called "Volcanoes" because members of a test audience had viewed it as "blasphemous." John is joined by Adam Powell, Visiting Professor at the Annenberg School of Communications and Director of the U.S. National Laboratory for Multi-Media Research at USC.