Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

See the Conversations with History Blog See a webcast of this interview: Kinsley

This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest today is Michael Kinsley, who is a journalist writing a column for the Washington Post. He has been editor of The New Republic, Harpers, and The Washington Monthly. He was the founding editor of Slate and most recently editor of the editorial and opinion page of the L.A. Times. He was also co-host of Crossfire on CNN for several years and he was a moderator on Firing Line.

1. Background ... dinner with the TV news ... Harvard Crimson ... recording Harvard professors' attempt to stop the war ... law school
2. Being a Journalist ... The New Republic ... managing editor ... thinking analytically ... punditry ... writer vs. editor ... the good and bad of argumentation
3. Working in Nonprint Media ... CNN's Crossfire ... frustrating labels ... intellectual honesty ... Slate ... figuring out the new medium ... the medium changes the message ... example: weighing in on the social security debate
4. Implications of the New Technologies ... "intellectual bartender" ... blogs ... democratization of opinion-sharing ... traditional op-ed pages ... resistance to change ... LA Times and the wiki op-ed ... the problem of profitability
5. The Iraq War ... embedded journalists ... constants in war reporting ... principles and youthful courage ... need for more reason ... the war and tepid public response ... advice for students

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