May 2, MIC-sponsored symposium: Laboring on the Labor Beat: Unions and 21st Century Journalism
On the heels of the pandemic, the US has witnessed one of the most vibrant and militant phases of labor organizing in the last 50 years. New unionizing campaigns at companies like Amazon and Starbucks have sprung up amid a massive uptick in strikes across the country from UPS workers and airline pilots to academic workers and both actors and writers in the film industry. This cycle of labor militancy is crowned by the UAW’s successful “stand-up strike” in the fall of 2023, which is redefining the auto industry and could be a launchpad for rebuilding the power of the labor movement.
This new movement of workplace militancy demands a labor press that keeps pace. Over recent decades, however, many outlets all but abandoned the labor and workplace beat, and labor reporting is either covered by independent journalists or on the fringes of many of the newspapers of record. At this MIC-sponsored symposium, we will explore the way this wave of worker militancy has been covered and strategies for rebuilding the labor beat.
Schedule
9am: Breakfast
10am: Labor Beat - Past and Present
Moderated by Chenjerai Kumanyika.
- Jon Bekken, Professor of Communication at Albright College
- Kim Kelly, Labor Columnist at Teen Vogue and author of Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor
- Hamilton Nolan, Labor Journalist for In These Times and The Guardian
- Alex N Press, Staff Writer at Jacobin
12pm: Lunch
1pm: AI Labor and the Future of Journalism
Moderated by John Pavlik.
- Susan DeCarava, President of The NewsGuild of New York
- Michelle Miller, Director of Innovation for the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard University
- Caitlin Petre, Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information
3pm: Reviving the Labor Beat
Moderated by Sarah Jaffe.
- Alex Han, Executive Director of In These Times
- Amir Khafagy, Award-winning Journalist and Report for America Corps Member at Documented
- Alissa Quart, Executive Director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project
- David Roth, Journalist and Editor for Defector
- Todd Wolfson, Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information and Co-Director of the MIC Center
5:30pm: Keynote by Christopher Keyser
7pm: Reception
About the Speaker
For more than twenty-five years, Christopher Keyser has been the creator, showrunner, and executive producer of numerous television series. He began, in 1994, by creating (along with his partner, Amy Lippman), the show Party of Five, which ran for six years on Fox and won, among other honors, the Golden Globe for Best Television Series Drama and the Humanitas Prize.
From 2011-2015, Mr. Keyser served as President of the Writers Guild of America, West. He also served as Co-Chair of the 2023 WGA Negotiating Committee.
Disclaimer: This event may be photographed and/or video recorded for archival, educational, and related promotional purposes. We also may share these video recordings through Annenberg's website or related platforms. Certain events may also be livestreamed. By attending or participating in this event, you are giving your consent to be photographed and/or video recorded and you are waiving any and all claims regarding the use of your image by the Annenberg School for Communication. The Annenberg School for Communication, at its discretion, may provide a copy of the photos/footage upon written request.
On the heels of the pandemic, the US has witnessed one of the most vibrant and militant phases of labor organizing in the last 50 years. New unionizing campaigns at companies like Amazon and Starbucks have sprung up amid a massive uptick in strikes across the country from UPS workers and airline pilots to academic workers and both actors and writers in the film industry. This cycle of labor militancy is crowned by the UAW’s successful “stand-up strike” in the fall of 2023, which is redefining the auto industry and could be a launchpad for rebuilding the power of the labor movement.
This new movement of workplace militancy demands a labor press that keeps pace. Over recent decades, however, many outlets all but abandoned the labor and workplace beat, and labor reporting is either covered by independent journalists or on the fringes of many of the newspapers of record. At this MIC-sponsored symposium, we will explore the way this wave of worker militancy has been covered and strategies for rebuilding the labor beat.
Schedule
9am: Breakfast
10am: Labor Beat - Past and Present
Moderated by Chenjerai Kumanyika.
- Jon Bekken, Professor of Communication at Albright College
- Kim Kelly, Labor Columnist at Teen Vogue and author of Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor
- Hamilton Nolan, Labor Journalist for In These Times and The Guardian
- Alex N Press, Staff Writer at Jacobin
12pm: Lunch
1pm: AI Labor and the Future of Journalism
Moderated by John Pavlik.
- Susan DeCarava, President of The NewsGuild of New York
- Michelle Miller, Director of Innovation for the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard University
- Caitlin Petre, Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information
3pm: Reviving the Labor Beat
Moderated by Sarah Jaffe.
- Alex Han, Executive Director of In These Times
- Amir Khafagy, Award-winning Journalist and Report for America Corps Member at Documented
- Alissa Quart, Executive Director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project
- David Roth, Journalist and Editor for Defector
- Todd Wolfson, Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information and Co-Director of the MIC Center
5:30pm: Keynote by Christopher Keyser
7pm: Reception
About the Speaker
For more than twenty-five years, Christopher Keyser has been the creator, showrunner, and executive producer of numerous television series. He began, in 1994, by creating (along with his partner, Amy Lippman), the show Party of Five, which ran for six years on Fox and won, among other honors, the Golden Globe for Best Television Series Drama and the Humanitas Prize.
From 2011-2015, Mr. Keyser served as President of the Writers Guild of America, West. He also served as Co-Chair of the 2023 WGA Negotiating Committee.
Disclaimer: This event may be photographed and/or video recorded for archival, educational, and related promotional purposes. We also may share these video recordings through Annenberg's website or related platforms. Certain events may also be livestreamed. By attending or participating in this event, you are giving your consent to be photographed and/or video recorded and you are waiving any and all claims regarding the use of your image by the Annenberg School for Communication. The Annenberg School for Communication, at its discretion, may provide a copy of the photos/footage upon written request.