The Prodigy:
Juilliard-trained pianist and eminent Duke Ellington authority Brooks Kerr died in New York on April 28. "If you have any questions about my music, just ask Brooks Kerr," Ellington said in 1972.
A Guiding Light:
Academics and representatives from advocacy organizations have proposed the Santa Clarita Principles to ensure the "large-scale moderation of online content" by social networks, including full transparency concerning deleted posts and accounts. The Principles are modeled after an agreement reached at the Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA in 1975.
Shut Out:
In an unprecedented decision, Harley-Davidson banned the media from attending its annual shareholders meeting on Thursday. The company's motorcycle sales were down 12 percent from last year in the first quarter of 2018.
Emperor of Concrete:
The New York Review of Books recently republished Gore Vidal's chilling 1974 précis of 'The Power Broker.' "One sees in the design of [Robert Moses'] career a perfect blueprint for that inevitable figure [...] the first popularly elected dictator of the United States," Vidal wrote of Robert Caro's Pulitzer-winning book.
'A towering achievement':
Edwin G. Burrows died at his home in Huntington, N.Y. on May 4. The Columbia Ph.D. and Brooklyn College mainstay brought his expertise in early New York history to the Prize-winning 'Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898,' co-written with graduate school colleague Mike Wallace.
'Trust that inner voice':
In his commencement address to Loyola Marymount University's graduating class, Ronan Farrow told graduates: “I wish I could tell you I was confident [...] But the real version was that I was heartbroken and scared, and I had no idea if I was doing the right thing.”
World Press Freedom:
"Today — World Press Freedom Day — is a time to remember journalists who have been harassed, intimidated or imprisoned for their work," wrote Stefan Simanowitz, Amnesty International's media manager for Turkey. "It is a time to make clear to governments — particularly in Turkey — that stifling a nation’s media is a willful act of self-harm which will have deeply damaging impact on wider society."
More 'Angels':
After setting a Tony Awards record with 11 nominations, the Broadway revival of Tony Kushner's Angels in America has been extended by two weeks to July 15.
Press Freedom in Decline:
The United States has fallen to No. 45 in the 2018 World Press Freedom Index. According to Reporters Without Borders, which compiles the rankings, "more and more democratically elected leaders no longer see the media as part of democracy’s essential underpinning, but as an adversary to which they openly display their aversion."
Realignment:
As of May 1, the Newseum Institute has become the Freedom Forum Institute. According to the Institute, the "change more strongly aligns the name with the Institute’s work," including such initiatives as the First Amendment Center and NewseumEd, an educational platform.
