News

Sarah Palin v. New York Times Case Highlights First Amendment Rights for Journalists

By Barbara Gutierrez Two University of Miami legal experts give their interpretation of the jury verdict and court’s decision in the recent lawsuit involving the former governor of Alaska and the daily newspaper. A New York jury decided on Feb. 15 against former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in a libel suit she filed against The New York Times where she claimed that the newspaper had published a defamatory statement that had damaged her reputation. In an unusual move, U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff announced to the parties prior to [...]

2022-02-21T13:23:55-05:00February 21, 2022|Uncategorized|

‘Encanto’ Praised for Authentic Representation of Colombian Culture

By Barbara Gutierrez Social media posts of young children reacting to the sight of characters in the new Disney movie who look like them have gone viral. Members of the University of Miami community share their opinions on the animated film and why it’s important for everyone to see diversity in film. Eight-year-old Emma Gomez has watched the Walt Disney animated movie “Encanto” 13 times. She loves to sing and dance to the movie’s catchy song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” and knows the rest of the musical score by [...]

2022-02-16T13:39:46-05:00February 16, 2022|Uncategorized|

Student Blazes a Trail as a Public Speaker

By Jenny Hudak University of Miami sophomore Niles Niseem, a professional public speaker since he was 12 years old, aims to motivate his community through his speeches. Standing in the Georgia Dome, in an audience of almost 60,000, Niles Niseem's mother noticed something peculiar. When she looked around, the crowd surrounding her wasn't quite focused on the speaker of their work conference. But rather, they were captivated by a particularly enthusiastic and chatty toddler standing beside her—her 3-year-old son. So, it’s not surprising that Niseem, a sophomore studying broadcast journalism [...]

2022-02-15T12:04:51-05:00February 15, 2022|Broadcast Journalism|

‘Black Game Studies’ Examines Contributions of Black Game Makers to the Industry

By Karina Valdes Realizing a need for a reference of African American and African diaspora game makers, Lindsay Grace, associate professor and Knight Chair in Interactive Media, recently released Black Game Studies, an academic and historical book on the contributions of Black game makers to the field of analog and digital games. “There was a shortage of information about people of the African American and African diaspora and the kinds of games they make. What I did at the start of last year was to solicit stories and aggregate all [...]

2022-02-11T14:00:05-05:00February 11, 2022|Interactive Media, School of Communication|

There Are Many Layers in Intellectual Property Protection, Expert Says

By Ally Polner Intellectual property (IP) lawyer, Allison Lovelady, shared many insights with aspiring media professionals at the virtual Feb. 2022 meeting of the Media Management Association. As a partner at Shullman Fugate PLLC, Lovelady primarily litigates and counsels clients on copyright, trademark, defamation, and related privacy disputes. She graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and Business Administration and earned her JD from Nova Southeastern University where she was an editor for the Journal of International and Comparative Law. Lovelady started off her [...]

2022-02-09T14:41:49-05:00February 9, 2022|Media Management|

’Cane Launches Podcast to Encourage Student Wellness

By Nailah Edmead Kathryn Jackson’s new podcast reflects on her own journey and blends her academic studies with her passion for helping her fellow ’Canes improve their own well-being. For many new students, the transition from high school to college is a challenging time full of changed routines, a new community, and other uncertainties. Kathryn Jackson, a junior studying advertising with a minor in marketing and psychology, found the many transitional programs and orientation experiences offered at the University of Miami helpful, but knew that she needed to look inward [...]

2022-02-03T14:18:58-05:00February 3, 2022|Advertising|

Journalists Respond with Anger, Seek Justice After Four Killed in Mexico

By Barbara Gutierrez The country continues to be hazardous for members of the news media as the January murders are added to the death toll. A University scholar says that impunity must end, and the press must be protected. Mexico continues to be one of the most dangerous places for journalists to practice their profession. Four journalists were killed since the start of this year, prompting large street demonstrations in almost 40 cities in the country by angry news people who are demanding justice for their fallen colleagues. In early [...]

2022-02-03T11:35:10-05:00February 3, 2022|Journalism|

University Community Leaps into the ‘Metaverse’

By Janette Neuwahl Tannen Four years into the XR Initiative, University of Miami students and faculty and staff members conceive new ways to solve problems and improve education by using immersive technology to connect in a network of virtual worlds. Léa Dorne still vividly remembers visiting a Syrian refugee camp and standing inside a family’s United Nations trailer in Jordan. But she wasn’t actually in the Middle East. Dorne observed the family’s reality through an Oculus Quest headset while watching a film shot in virtual reality (VR). “It’s very different [...]

2022-01-21T15:01:35-05:00January 21, 2022|Interactive Media|

White, Saget Remembered as ‘Two of the Most Loved Entertainment Icons’

By Mitchell Shapiro School of Communication professor Mitchell Shapiro, an expert on the history of television, memorializes Betty White and Bob Saget, two of TV’s iconic stars who passed away within 10 days of each other. On Dec. 31, 2021, Betty White passed away 17 days shy of her 100th birthday. While much of America was still reeling from, and mourning her passing, 10 days later, on Jan. 9, 2022, Bob Saget, one of America’s favorite TV dads, died suddenly at age 65. Both stars were universally loved by audiences. [...]

2022-01-19T10:56:57-05:00January 19, 2022|School of Communication|

Remembering Trailblazing Actor and Activist Sidney Poitier

By Terri Francis As an actor, Sidney Poitier—who was born in Miami and received an honorary degree from the University in 1986—challenged the social order, according to School of Communication associate professor Terri Francis. One of the important ways we assess Bahamian American Sidney Poitier’s history in civil rights is through photographs where he is sitting with, laughing with, and whispering to noted singer, songwriter, activist, and actor Jamaican American Harry Belafonte. The joy, intimacy, and humanity distilled there shows so much of what sustained him, what he was working [...]

2022-01-13T10:58:48-05:00January 13, 2022|Motion Pictures|