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What's Ahead for California's Gig Workers?
A new law is set to take effect in California on January 1 that could significantly shift the landscape for the "gig economy" and freelancers across the state: Assembly Bill 5 (or AB 5) will require businesses to reclassify workers like ridesharing and food app delivery drivers as employees and not contractors, giving them access to minimum wage and benefits such as overtime, workers' compensation and health insurance. Another group that's targeted in the legislation are freelance journalists. (Vox Media, the parent company of sports site SB Nation, has already taken action and laid off hundreds of freelancers before the law goes into effect.) Villanova University professor Cheryl Carleton, PhD, is an expert on labor economics and the workforce who, in conjunction with Mary Kelly, PhD, recently published research on alternative work arrangements and job satisfaction. "By making them regular employees of the company, workers that firms do hire would gain some benefits, and the government may gain some unemployment insurance payments," Dr. Carleton said about California's AB 5 legislation. "Such a law may be great for them. However, other workers will be worse off because they will be losing just what they wanted—the ability to work when and where they want." "Some of these workers may already have needed benefits through a spouse or significant other or through another job," she continued. "Perhaps they are retired and already have access to those benefits. Still, other workers may not be able to take a regular job with its rigid hours, so they will not be able to work at all." Dr. Carleton also noted that there is a larger issue about how benefits are provided in our economy. "Benefits such as medical insurance, pensions and sick and disability leave are provided through one's place of employment. To the extent that these other working arrangements are growing in popularity, the best approach may be for us to rethink how such benefits are offered," she shared. "It may be that more should be offered by the government to citizens, which then would allow them the ability to choose the job(s) they want that fill the needs they have." To speak with Dr. Carleton or Dr. Kelly, please click on the "View Profile" links featured on this page.
Working with Faculty Experts to Build Reputation and Market Visibility
The Baylor University Playbook Featured in CASE Currents Magazine PHOTO CREDIT: BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS As traditional and social media organizations such as Facebook race to expose and disrupt the onslaught of “fake news”, a major opportunity exists for higher education institutions to more prominently feature their research and expert opinion to quell this steady flow of misinformation. We know that the gold standard of news reports and social media posts are substantiated with expert research and opinion. What gets in the way of comprehensive reporting and dialogue? It’s often the lack of input from great institutions and their experts. More than ever, traditional media organizations need to provide a steady flow of credible information to trump the influx of unsubstantiated content. But the media (from local mainstream editors to award-winning international investigative journalists) struggle with big challenges: growing editorial demands, small budgets, little time, limits to accessing information – all restricting their ability to pursue new research, data and expertise. So how do they get around this and cut through the clutter? A lot of the responsibility falls on organizations to be more approachable to journalists to help them with expert sources. Schools doing this well are already boosting their reputation with media and other key audiences by showing the relevance of their institution and faculty. In this month’s CASE Currents magazine, a feature article titled “Are Your Professors Ready for Their Close-Up?” Eric Eckert, Baylor University’s Assistant Director of Media Communications and Faculty Development, shares with other institutions the process his team took to prepare its faculty experts for the media spotlight with an in-house training program and the necessary tools to succeed. the Baylor playbook is a great read for any organization looking to boost media coverage and build reputation. Eckert, whose list of responsibilities at the university includes “Faculty Experts”, notes: “We demonstrate our commitment to this program by investing in tools that spread awareness of our researchers’ work. In addition to the time we devote to training and promoting our faculty members, in 2017 our office started using ExpertFile, a content marketing platform that includes the capability to create dynamic faculty profiles that expose our professors to a wider audience of journalists. We can also manage media inquiries through the platform. The software has reduced the time we spend updating faculty profiles. We can quickly add photos, videos, and links to an expert’s media hits and create faculty spotlights—a feature that helps us rapidly promote a professor’s expertise to take advantage of breaking news.” ExpertFile worked with Baylor to develop a searchable platform and content placements for their experts integrated into the Baylor website. To extend the reach beyond the website, Its experts are now also synchronized with the ExpertFile global experts directory and are also visible to thousands of newsrooms throughout the world through our partnerships with the Associated Press and Dejero. Eckert goes on to explain his organization’s use and success with ExpertFile Spotlight. Spotlight is a unique content hub solution that is growing in popularity with marketing teams looking to quickly feature their experts in the context of breaking news, emerging stories, valuable research and newsworthy events. Virtually all of our clients are seeing the importance of providing relevant story angles that can be produced to help journalists on same day deadlines. Eckert goes on to speak of his experience with Spotlights: “In September 2017, we created a spotlight to distribute a Baylor law professor’s comments on President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw authorization for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. A media inquiry received through ExpertFile resulted in a guest appearance on a nationally syndicated radio program in Canada.” Other coverage generated recently by the Baylor team includes: Are you ‘phubbing’ right now? What it is and why science says it’s bad for your relationships The Washington Post You might be cheating on your spouse with your smartphone The Toronto Star Four bad habits that executives should nix The Economist Can ‘bedtime’ teas really help you fall asleep faster? Women’s Health The better way to take a break Fast Company The profile that experts develop through thought out programs such as Baylor’s can extend well beyond media to other key stakeholders, including potential research partners, funders, event organizers, student enrollment and employee recruitment. How are your marketing, communications and media relations’ teams working with your experts across the campus to build market visibility and reputation for your institution? We’d like to know. For more information on how ExpertFile Spotlight works or to read more success stories please drop me a line at Deanne Taenzer at dtaenzer@expertfile.com
Part 2: How Duke University doubled their media hits by showcasing faculty
Last week we shared the first five major rules of Expert Marketing that are currently being used by Duke University to double their media hits (READ PART I). We also developed some strategies and best practices for higher education institutions to better market their experts. In this blog post, we are going to share our team’s final insights into how to better leverage your experts. Rule #6: Create Once, Publish Everywhere At one time we just had to focus on creating a news site. That’s now expanded to a multi- screen environment that requires we thread content into sites that are being accessed from desktops, mobile devices and even digital signage that is often scattered throughout the campus. Sit down with your digital team and map out how to distribute media across multiple channels such as social networks, news-feeds, homepages, faculty sites, as well as faculty profiles in your expert center or speakers bureau. Many schools still don’t have the “responsive” capability to push their news content out to mobile users. Insiders Tip: Duke applies a “create once publish everywhere” model to ensure that time-crunched journalists can easily connect with their expert commentary, whether they access the website’s desktop or mobile versions, or through a wide range of social channels. Rule #7: Get Your Expert Quotes Ready for the Real-Time News Cycle Organizing a system with your faculty to publish pre-approved expert quotes on your website can pay huge dividends, as news outlets have fewer reporters covering more territory. Many of our clients tell us they are seeing less experienced reporters who have much less time to research and interact with media departments. Having pre-approved quotes ready to go makes it much simpler for media, making you much more attractive to them. This pre-planning can minimize the strain on faculty experts during class hours. An added bonus is that it also minimizes misquotes. Insiders Tip: Duke University aims to provide daily quotes on its website by midday as part of its “news tips” section. While these quotes generally take less than one hour to produce, they have proven most effective. Almost all of their news tips have been used by the media since they started producing them in June 2014. Rule #8: Promote Your Core Areas of Expertise First With so much going on throughout the campus there are a lot of opportunities to promote a diverse range of topics to the media. However, it’s really important to identify the core topics where you have expert commentary in demand. The best media relations people have established their school as go-to sources for select topics. You should also stake your claim. What groundbreaking research can you find on the campus that relates to key news events? Think about what reporters need to communicate to their audiences. Do you have faculty who are credible, approachable and engaging on these topics? Invest the time with your team to develop a master topics list and tune this list regularly based on upcoming faculty contributions and news cycle developments. Insiders Tip: Duke University identified a number of key factors that contribute to the media take-up rate such as the degree of media interest in a story; the relative supply of experts available to media and timing considerations. While it’s impossible to control all these variables, They learned, based on trial and error, that concentrating on core topics where they have an academic focus such as politics, law and the environment generated more coverage. Rule #9: Focus your Editorial Calendar on Key Event Anniversaries It is important to get the mix right when looking for media opportunities. While it will always be to your advantage to leverage breaking news if you can mobilize your faculty experts, there is also a predefined editorial flow to the news across a calendar of special and recurring events. It’s crucial that you get some of these major opportunities on the calendar and develop a campaign to enlist faculty experts. For example, Black History Month and the Super Bowl are both annual recurring events happening in February. It’s good to map these along with other special events that are periodically staged or non- recurring such as a G8 Summit or the upcoming papal visit to the US. If you can mobilize your experts to provide value for media who need to start researching these events well in advance you increase your chances of coverage. Insiders Tip: The Duke University media relations team actively monitors upcoming anniversaries and other timely events that reporters are likely to write about. Events that have the potential to generate stories that Duke can leverage with their experts are reviewed by the communications team in twice weekly scrum meetings. Rule #10: Leverage Tools such as Twitter to Grow your Media Contacts Much of the success you will have with faculty experts hinges on your ability to take your message to the market. So it’s important to focus on grooming and growing your media contacts. Besides buying access to media lists from vendors such as Cision, PR Newswire, Marketwired and Meltwater; don’t forget about Twitter. It provides a huge opportunity to build a list of influencers and key opinion leaders. Using a simple topic and hashtag searches on Twitter, you can begin to map various clusters of people who are following specific news beats that may be relevant to your institution. Remember that media outlets tend to follow other media outlets for story angles and media sources. Having a well organized list of people that have interacted with you in the past is a large part of distributing your news faster to a larger audience. It’s important to do Twitter searches to research specific reporters you want to pitch to see where their interests lie. Insiders Tip: Duke University refines its media lists continually using Twitter. It looks at the social graph of reporters who make use its online news tips to identify other journalists to add to their database.
November has been a busy month for Cedarville University’s Mark Caleb Smith. As the Director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville, Smith has found himself doing double duty as both professor and the go-to person and pundit for local, state and national political coverage In November Smith was interviewed by TV, radio and print for issues pertaining to impeachment, Michael Bloomberg entering the presidential race and the DNC debates. Mark Caleb Smith averages approximately 160 media interviews a year – and for good reason. He teaches courses in American Politics, Constitutional Law, and Research Methodology/Data Analysis and has fast become a media-ready expert who provides accurate, objective and laser-cut insight to reporters and journalists covering politics. If you’re a journalist covering politics – let Mark Caleb Smith help with your stories. He’s available, simply click on his icon to arrange an interview today.
This month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a shift in U.S. policy toward settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Pompeo announced that the Trump administration does not view the settlements as inconsistent international law, and rescinded a 1978 state department legal opinion that held that view. The move now leaves the issue of individual settlements up to Israeli courts. Assistant Professor Sandy Marshall has spent time as a volunteer instructor in a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank and returned to the region this past summer to advance his research into the experiences of Palestinian refugee children. A human geographer, he has conducted extensive research into the impact of conflict, division and displacement on children and youth in the Middle East. Asked for a brief comment on the shift in U.S. policy, here’s what Marshall had to say: “Coming on the heels of the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the change in policy on West Bank settlements is another nail in the coffin of a negotiated peace-settlement based on the two-state solution, represent U.S. rejection of broad international legal consensus . This move undermines any remaining legitimacy the U.S. has in the region as a peace-broker and threatens further destabilization of the region.” If you're interested in talking with Professor Marshall as you continue to cover this important topic, please reach out to Owen Covington, director of the Elon University News Bureau, at ocovington@elon.edu or (336) 278-7413. Professor Marshall is available for phone, email and broadcast interviews.
Trying to figure out the 25th Amendment? Let our experts help with your coverage.
With the race for the Whitehouse hitting a fever pitch early – and as Democrats and even some Republicans pull out every stop to overtake Donald Trump’s chances at re-election in just over a year, the topic of invoking the 25th Amendment and removing the President from office is getting a lot of coverage and press. Professor Brian Kalt from Michigan State University is one of only a few legal scholars on the 25th Amendment. He’s noticed that more and more people, pundits and even the media continue to misunderstand the 25th amendment including Robert Reich. Reich, a former US secretary of labour and is now a professor at the University of California at Berkeley should know better. Here’s what he says is wrong with Reich’s take on the 25th. “It’s ridiculous to say that it’s not clear what they mean by executive departments. It’s clear who the cabinet members who would participate are. And he’s right that if there is the threat of an imminent nuclear strike or something like that, it would be appropriate to use the 25th amendment. But he falls into the usual traps of suggesting that the only reason it hasn’t been used already is sycophancy. Barring something like an eminent catastrophe, we have not seen anything as yet that would warrant using section 4. He’s not confronting the built-in limits of section 4. The failure to use the 25th amendment so far is a reflection of its design, not a perversion of it.” Are you a reporter covering politics and do you have questions about the 25th Amendment, how it works and just what it requires to be invoked? Then let our experts help with your questions and ensure your coverage is accurate. Brian Kalt is a Professor of Law and a Harold Norris Faculty Scholar at Michigan State University. Brian is an expert in constitutional law of the presidency, presidential pardons, impeachment, succession and the 25th Amendment.
Minority of Twitter users responsible for vast majority of political tweets
Associate Professor of Law David Levine recently lent his expertise to a Washington Post article looking at who is posting tweets about U.S. politics on the popular social media platform. The Oct. 24 article by reporter Marie Baca examined a recent report by the Pew Research Center that found that 10 percent of U.S. adult Twitter users generated 97 percent of tweets mentioning national politics. Those who were most prolific accounted for just 6 percent of all U.S. adult Twitter users, but authored 73 percent of all political tweets, the report found. "It can be quite dangerous if you’re not taking a step back and saying, ‘What do I know about the sources of this information and who or what is behind it?’” — David Levine, associate professor of law Levine, who is the founder of the "Hearsay Culture" radio show about modern technology issues, noted that Twitter users who find themselves in an echo chamber populated by others who mirror their views could take less time to determine the origin or assess the truthfulness of information they receive in that chamber. “It can be quite dangerous if you’re not taking a step back and saying, ‘What do I know about the sources of this information and who or what is behind it?’” he said. “It’s very easy psychologically, especially if you’re coming into it with a particular perspective, to go along with it.” If Professor Levine can assist with your reporting about social media and online extremism, please reach out to Owen Covington, director of the Elon University News Bureau, at ocovington@elon.edu or (336) 278-7413. Professor Levine is available for phone, email and broadcast interviews.
#PresidentPelosi? Not so fast says our expert on impeachment and succession
#PresidentPelosi is trending on Twitter, but scholar Professor Brian Kalt says that this is way off base for several reasons: “First and foremost is that Trump and Pence would not be removed at the same time. If Pence is removed, or if Trump is removed and Pence becomes president, there would be a vice-presidential vacancy. When there is a vice-presidential vacancy, Section 2 of the 25th Amendment directs the president to nominate a new VP, who must then be confirmed by simple majorities in the House and Senate. “There is a small chance Trump could be removed. There is a minuscule chance that Pence could be removed. But there is absolutely zero chance that any Republicans in the Senate would remove both of them without confirming a new (Republican) VP first. You need at least 20 Republicans in the Senate to vote to remove anyone (because you need 67 votes and there are only 47 Democrats), and precisely zero Republicans would ever go along with that.” Kalt is an expert in constitutional law of the presidency, presidential pardons, impeachment, succession and the 25th Amendment. In fact, in his book, Constitutional Cliffhangers, Kalt wrote about how bad an idea it is to have the Speaker in the line of succession. His new book, Unable, is about the law, politics and limits of Section 4 of the 25th. If you’re a journalist – let us help with your coverage and questions. Brian Kalt is a Professor of Law and a Harold Norris Faculty Scholar at Michigan State University. He is an expert in constitutional law of the presidency, presidential pardons, impeachment, succession and the 25th Amendment. Brian is available to speak with media regarding this topic – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.
Analyzing U.K. Supreme Court Ruling
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson illegally suspended Parliament, putting lawmakers back in session to debate Brexit. Villanova political science professor Catherine Warrick, PhD, says that, while the circumstances are unusual, the court has acted in defense of the constitution and the rule of law by protecting Parliament's powers. She notes there are two key factors in the court's ruling. "First, the ruling wasn't about Brexit itself. The Supreme Court made it clear that their decision was about the limited question of the power to prorogue Parliament—and was taken on the basis of constitutional principles, not political questions. Interestingly, the government had claimed (implausibly) that the prorogation was not about Brexit at all, but now that it has been ruled illegal, a lot of conservative commentators are suddenly depicting the decision as an attempt to derail Brexit. Bit of trying to have it both ways there. "Second, there seems to be a lot of commentary on social media claiming that the court said that the prime minister lied to or misled Queen Elizabeth in order to get her to agree to prorogation. This isn't really true—the inference can be drawn that Johnson behaved dishonestly, but I don't think the Court said so outright."
Can Understanding the History of Drug Addiction Help Address the Opioid Epidemic?
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 130 people die every day after overdosing on opioids. Lives have been lost, families shattered, and billions spent as experts, elected leaders, health care professionals, and law enforcement officials try to address the country's opioid epidemic. A professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute can help shed light on the forces at work in this crisis and its history. Professor Nancy Campbell is an expert is in the history of science, technology, and medicine as it relates to drug policy and the social significance of drugs. She is a professor and head of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) in the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. "We found her to be one of the most knowledgeable people on the history of opioids and how that history fits into the context of today’s problem," reporters for CBS 6 News in Albany wrote of Campbell. In a recent interview with the station, Campbell discussed her extensive research on the history of drug addiction, as well as her approach to educating students about it. “I actually want my students to go out of the class, knowing more about where our current opioid epidemic came from, the endemic that it built upon and also knowing more about drug markets and the social aspects,” Campbell said. August 15 – CBS 6 News Are you a reporter covering the opioid crisis and need to know what’s being done and what more needs to be done? Let our experts help with your questions. Campbell is available to speak to media regarding the opioid crisis and the history of drug addiction – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.
