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In the news

By Marie Felde, Public Affairs
 


s. borensteinb. cain

Left, Severin Borenstein, and right, Bruce Cain



31 January 2001 | Waddling penguins. Bizarre planet discoveries. A historic presidential election and a raging energy crisis. Those were among the issues that put Berkeley faculty experts on the front pages, front lines and into front rooms across the state and nation as 2000 came to a close and the new year began.

Many of our political experts - whether on the government, journalistic, legal or even linguistic front - found themselves on the reporters speed dials.

Bruce Cain, director of the Institute of Governmental Studies, and Boalt Law Professor John Yoo were two of the most sought-after, and obliging experts.

Cain's insight was sought by reporters at papers ranging from the Telegraph Herald in Dubuque, Iowa, to the New York Times, and he appeared in the broadcast media with regular commentary for local Channel 2 and frequent appearances on NPR's Morning Edition and PBS's Newshour.

John Yoo brought a better understanding to the intricacies of the vote-counting court cases. His quotes and expertise showed up almost daily from mid-November through mid-December, whether it was to a nationwide audience on CNN or for the local legal community in San Francisco's Recorder newspaper.

Cain and Yoo, of course, were not the only Berkeley faculty who took time to help the nation's media understand and sort out the political issues. Professors Jack Citrin, Raymond Wolfinger, Susan Rasky, Henry Brady, Jesse Choper, Troy Duster and many others were frequently cited.

Linguist Robin Lakoff, for example, was quoted in an Associated Press wire story about difficulties, in English, in distinguishing between the two George Bushes. She said there is no modern English equivalent of the handy French "pere" and "fils" designations for father and son. As soon as the presidential race was concluded, a new hot topic emerged: the California energy crisis. Here too, the Berkeley faculty emerged as leading voices, providing both expert advice in the op-ed pages and helpful analysis in news stories.

Business Administration and Public Policy Professor Severin Borenstein and his colleagues at the University of California Energy Institute have been swamped with media inquiries. Borenstein has been generous with his time (it may help that his brother is a newspaper reporter.)

Of course they aren't the only ones being called by the media, or initiating a dialogue on the issue. Hal Varian, dean of the School of Information Management and Systems, opened his Jan. 11 "Economic Scene" column in the New York Times by explaining the problem this way: "The reason for the California electricity crisis can be summed up in four words: demand grew, supply didn't."

Discoveries almost always make news, and when they involve new planets, you can usually count on huge news play. Still, Professor Geoffrey Marcy's comment to the New York Times on his team's most recent find was memorable. "They are unique and frightening," he said of the two new planetary systems discovered.

Another unique, though hardly frightening Berkeley report focused on whether penguins' waddling gait makes sense. It does. And it also makes news. The Washington Post was just one of the hundreds of places it appeared; British newspapers seemed especially drawn to it.

Law professor Joan Hollinger enlightened readers about international adoption laws and the drawbacks of looking to the Internet in the wake of stories on a battle over adopted twins. Hollinger told Granada Television in the UK and National Public Radio in the United States, that while online adoptions are legal, the Internet makes it easy for unscrupulous operators to bilk desperate couples.

At least Professor Dacher Keltner, an expert on facial expressions, gave us something to smile about. In a story that appeared in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, among other media, he said his research has shown that good things happen to people whose smiles light up their eyes. These kinds of broad smiles even have a scientific name: Duchenne's marker, named after an early French neurologist.

Marie Felde is director of media relations in the Office of Public Affairs. "In the News" is a monthly look at Berkeley faculty, staff and research that made news around the world.

 


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