USC Annenberg Center - CCLP

04/09/2026

📣 It’s Local News Day!

Some of the most important news is close to home. CCLP is proud to support Local News Day by partnering with local newsrooms working to keep our communities informed and connected.

Check out local newsrooms near you 👉 LocalNewsDay.org

04/08/2026

CCLP is pleased to welcome Julianna Goldman as its newest Senior Fellow. Goldman is an award-winning journalist who reported on politics for decades with Bloomberg and CBS News. At CCLP, Goldman will contribute her expertise in student journalism, including through a partnership with KidNuz, a daily news podcast for kids.

“We are delighted to welcome Julianna Goldman to the USC Annenberg Center,” CCLP Director Geoffrey Cowan said. “She has been an important political reporter and played an influential role in mentoring student journalists at Barnard. We look forward to helping her launch her new project helping student reporters.”

Read the full announcement here: https://communicationleadership.usc.edu/2026/04/08/cclp-announces-julianna-goldman-former-cbs-and-bloomberg-white-house-correspondent-as-a-senior-fellow/

04/07/2026

With a new year underway and the 2026 midterms on the horizon, major questions loom over the political landscape. How will newly drawn maps shape the battlefield? Which races will be most consequential? Will the election prove competitive nationwide, and could Democrats reclaim control of Congress – or will Republicans hold their ground? What role might the current administration play in shaping election rules and administration?

The USC Center for the Political Future invites you to New Year, New Election: How Many Districts Matter in the Midterms? This conversation on the state of the 2026 midterm elections will take place on Tuesday, April 7 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm in the University Club Scriptorium. Panelists will examine the races most likely to determine control of Congress, the forces shaping the 2026 cycle, and what to watch as the election approaches.

03/30/2026

CCLP is pleased to welcome Kevin Merida as its newest Senior Fellow.

A former Executive Editor of the Los Angeles Times and member of the Pulitzer Prize Board, Merida is an acclaimed journalist, media executive, and widely published author with decades of experience spanning broadcast, digital and print media. He currently serves on the board of The LA Local, a new nonprofit news collaborative in Los Angeles.

“We are thrilled to have Kevin Merida join us,” CCLP Director Geoffrey Cowan said. “We look forward to supporting his work on LeBron James and to working with him on new efforts to improve local news in Los Angeles.”

To read the full announcement, click here: https://communicationleadership.usc.edu/2026/03/30/kevin-merida-award-winning-journalist-and-former-la-times-executive-editor-joins-cclp-as-a-senior-fellow/

02/27/2026

CCLP is pleased to announce Jeff Blattner as its newest Senior Fellow. Blattner is currently a special assistant attorney general with the Colorado Department of Justice and a senior fellow at the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology and Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado.

“We are delighted to welcome Jeff Blattner to CCLP where he will join other Senior Fellows who are experts in law and public policy including Harry Litman, Charlie Firestone, and Jack Lerner,” CCLP Director Geoffrey Cowan said. “Jeff is also a passionate supporter of local journalism. At CCLP, he will blend his experience in law and public policy with CCLP’s efforts develop new ways to support and fund local news.”

Read the full announcement here: https://communicationleadership.usc.edu/2026/02/27/jeff-blattner-former-deputy-assistant-us-attorney-general-and-chief-judiciary-counsel-to-edward-m-kennedy-joins-cclp-as-a-senior-fellow/.

01/30/2026

Don’t miss our latest cultural diplomacy event, organized by CCLP Director of Washington Programs Adam Clayton Powell III and CCLP Special Project Manager Jung-hwa “Judy” Kang, with partners at Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, USC Roski School of Art and Design, and The Public Diplomacy Council of America. Watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/aLsk4UHxnaw.

Korean Treasures: Landmark in Korean Cultural DiplomacyDate and Time: Thursday, January 13, 2026 at 12 pm ESTLocation: OnlineSpeakers:-Dr. Sunwoo Hwang, Inau...

01/23/2026

🚀 We're excited to announce the webpage launch of the Global Health Communication Leadership Initiative: a collaboration between CCLP, USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health, and Keck Medicine of USC.

The Global Health Communication Leadership Initiative seeks to transform how the world supports and understands African contributions to global health, through two main pillars: our Senior Fellowship in Global Health Communication Leadership, with inaugural fellows advancing climate-health communications, aging with HIV, health journalism, and SRHR advocacy; and the Africa-U.S. Health Dialogues, amplifying diverse African perspectives on critical health challenges through regular hybrid events.

Watch the most recent Africa-U.S. Dialogue event, “The Future of Africa-U.S. Health Diplomacy” here: https://youtu.be/yfgoUHNiPbA

🔗 Explore the full webpage to meet our Fellows, watch all event recordings, and discover additional Africa-U.S. resources here: https://communicationleadership.usc.edu/global-health-communication-leadership-initiative/

A Partnership between the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health and the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy CCLP partners with the University of Southern California Institute on Inequalities in Global Health and Keck School of Medicine to support local leadership a...

11/20/2025

CCLP is pleased to welcome Wendy McMahon, former President and CEO of CBS News, Stations and CBS Media Ventures (2021–2025), as its newest Senior Fellow.

“We are delighted to welcome Wendy McMahon to CCLP where she will join other CBS news veterans including Marvin Kalb, Adam Clayton Powell III and Julianna Goldman,” Geoffrey Cowan, director of CCLP, said. “Her track record and commitment to uncompromising leadership and innovation is needed today more than ever. We look forward to working with her in the years ahead.”

Read the full announcement at the link in bio.

09/29/2025

Learn about our new Senior Fellows in Global Health Communication, a partnership with the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health and the Keck School of Medicine of USC: https://mailchi.mp/iigh/senior-fellows-in-global-health-communication-leadership

The USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy (CCLP), the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health (IIGH), and the Keck School of Medicine (KSOM) of USC are proud to announce the inaugural cohort of USC Senior Fellows in Global Health Communication Leadership.

Meet the 2025–2026 Senior Fellows:
1. Dr. Yewande Alimi, One Health Unit Lead, Africa Centers for Disease Control (Ethiopia). Dr. Alimi will develop a virtual storytelling lab and digital advocacy toolkit to broaden and humanize understanding of the health effects of climate change.
2. Dr. Jepchirchir Kiplagat, Lecturer, Moi University (Kenya). Dr. Kiplagat will produce a multimedia communication campaign and advocacy platform that seeks to humanize the experience of aging with HIV.
3. Mia Malan, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Bhekisisa Center for Health Journalism (South Africa). Malan will develop short videos on the impact of climate change on health, to be used in social media reels, a multimedia story, training materials, and a TV program.
4. Hon. Ben Malunga Phiri, MP, President of the Eastern and Southern African Parliamentary Caucus on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Population and Development (Malawi). Phiri will develop a toolkit to address religious and cultural barriers to communicating about sexual and reproductive health in Malawi.

As part of their USC affiliation, fellows will contribute to CCLP/IIGH public programming, receive student research assistance, and collaborate with USC faculty from diverse disciplines within journalism, communication, and global health. Read more here: tinyurl.com/CCLPandIIGHSeniorFellowship

USC Annenberg Center - CCLP

09/24/2025

Join CCLP for “October 7 plus two years: Dawn of a new age in the Middle East,” a conversation focused on the evolution of information warfare in the Middle East. To RSVP, visit CCLP’s website or USC Annenberg’s events page.

Adam Clayton Powell III, director of CCLP’s Washington, D.C. Programs, will moderate the panel, which includes David Henderson, former CBS News foreign correspondent and CCLP senior fellow, and Daniel Seaman, Israeli political commentator, media analyst and radio broadcaster.

🗓️ October 7, 2025
⏰ 9 - 10 a.m. PT
📍 Zoom Webinar