Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa
Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa and author of Reality TV: The Work of Being Watched
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Mark Andrejevic
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FROM Mark Andrejevic
To the Point
'Lord of the Flies' in 'Kid Nation' In a 13-part reality series scheduled to begin in September, 40 children were challenged to create their own society, without adults, in a New Mexico ghost town. Aged 8 to 15, they sometimes worked as many as 14 hours a day. Was it good clean fun that made for entertaining TV or child neglect and endangerment? Kid Nation was filmed without permits from state authorities, but all the parents signed 22-page, confidential releases. The kids will be paid, but CBS says they were not really "employees," so they weren't subject to child-labor laws. Saying the issue was moot because he found out after filming was over when he found out, Attorney General Gary King has reopening his investigation after troubling safety complaints from parents. Mark Andrejevic, professor of communication studies at the University of Iowa, is author of Reality TV : The Work of Being Watched.
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To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.