Walk #735: Thames Path: Stonehouse to Ashton Keynes
P20068260018	A flooded barge in Stonehouse. P20068260035	The canal heading southeast from Stroud.
County Gloucestershire, Wiltshire
Start Location Stonehouse station
End Location Ashton Keynes
Description This was a very pleasant walk following the Stroudwater Navigation and Thames & Severn Canal eastwards to the source of the Thames, after which the Thames Path took me onwards.
Pack Today I carried my 80-litre Macpac Glissade rucksack, containing a North Face Blue Kazoo sleeping bag, my Jack Wolfskin Gossamer tent, clothes, waterproofs and other camping items, excluding cooking gear.
Condition I am fairly tired after this walk, but have no problems worth mentioning.
Weather The day was a mixture of sunshine and showers, the former fortunately being more prevalent than the latter. It was quite a warm day when the sun was out, and there was not much of a wind to cool me down.
OS map Landranger number 12 (Thurso & Wick, John O'Groats) and Landranger number 163 (Cheltenham & Cirencester, Stow-on-the-Wold)
P20068260038	The canal heading towards Brimscombe. P20068260044	A river in Brimscombe.
P20068260050	The drained canal near Chalford. P20068260053	The Golden Valley heading up to Daneway.
P20068260069	The path heading up from the Sapperton Tunnel. P20068260098	The stone at the source of the Thames.
P20068260106	Looking back from Thames Head. P20068260110	The path near Thames Head.
I got up early this morning and had a bleary-eyed journey from Cambridge to Stonehouse, deep in the Cotswold hills. One of my targets for this year was to walk the Thames Path, and whilst this officially starts near Kemble I decided to connect it up with the Cotswold Way, which I walked a couple of years before. The train pulled into Stonehouse about fifteen minutes late, and after doing some stretches and waiting for the train to go I headed off down the road by my target time of ten.
My pack felt heavy on my shoulders - it was the first time that I had used this new pack, and although it was comfortable I could certainly feel the weight of all of the contents. The walk towards the canal was fairly unremarkable aside from the Cotswold stone used in many of the buildings, a stone that I have always like the look of. I had seen many of these buildings from the train as it had passed through Stroud, and it was nice to see some new buildings also being constructed from the stone.
I soon joined the Cotswold Way for a few yards near a white footbridge over the road, and it was with some trepidation that I remembered that when I had been walking the Cotswold Way I had talked to my ex, Sam, on my mobile from Kings Stanley, a short distance away. I often got melancholic at the beginning of a long walk, and half of me realised that thinking about my ex was a silly thing to be doing at the start of this walk. I therefore put the thoughts to the back of my mind as I reached a bridge that led over the Stroudwater Canal, and as I was already overheating I stopped temporarily to take my coat off. The clouds overhead and the dismal drizzle when I had left Cambridge led me to think that I would soon have to put it back on, however.
The initial stretch of the canal was green with algae, a sign that although this stretch is in water it is not yet navigable. A sign beside the towpath stated that the canal towpath was soon going to be closed in sections to allow the canal to be rebuilt, part of the scheme by the Cotswold Canals Trust scheme to reopen the entire canal between the Severn and Thames. The first part of this is a �25 million pound scheme to reopen the six miles between Stonehouse and Brimscombe Port, and as I walked along I could see how hard it will be to reopen in places. The walk along the canal was very enjoyable, with a narrow unsurfaced towpath being surrounded by greenery on both sides, including nettles overgrowing the path.
Fairly soon I came across a large lock, not without gates but with brickwork that seemed to be in good condition. Above this the canal was totally overgrown, a large mass of brambles covering the canal bed, and shortly beyond this it was infilled to an extent that it was impossible to tell that there had ever been a canal there. After rising up to go over an old bridge there was a short stretch that was in water beside a new housing development, giving an impression of what the rebuilt canal will look like. This short stretch was separated from the next section by a small causeway built across the canal to allow plant access across for a new development. Beyond the canal was still in water but was narrow, silted up and overgrown, and two locks were without gates and had weirs allowing water to cascade over.
This led me to realise that for the first half of today's walk I was heading uphill, and all of the water falling around me was heading west to the Severn, whilst later on it would all be heading eastwards towards the Thames. It is strange to think that the watershed is this far east, but this is similar to the Severn, where the source is very near to the west coast of Wales. When the towpath reached a double roundabout in Stroud I had to join the A419 for a period as it headed eastwards, passing under a railway bridge before reaching another roundabout. It was hardly a salubrious part of town, with builder's merchants to my left and traffic roaring by me as I followed the wide pavement. I could see the canal a short distance away, but it was not obvious how to get onto the towpath from the road.
It then started to spit with light drizzle, which soon became a heavy downfall as I joined the canal towpath once again. I tried to walk through it as I did not want to put my coat on due toe the warmth, but the rain got too heavy and I sheltered under a tree as I quickly put it on. The rain was falling like drain rods, and perversely I could see patches of blue sky, a sign that the downpour was not going to last too long. This proved to be the case, and after ten minutes the rain had stopped, and the weather became a combination of sunshine and cloud. Because of the cloud I decided not to take my coat off, and walked on getting increasingly warm.
The towpath soon reached Brimscombe Mill, where it ended at a road. The canal here has been filled in, and I decided to keep on the level rater than climbing uphill. On my left there was a beautiful mill building made out of Cotswold stone that looked to be recently restored, and off to my left were a series of disused industrial buildings. There was absolutely no trace of the canal on the ground, and when I saw a man ahead of me I asked him where I should go to rejoin the towpath. It turned out that he was walking the same way, and we chatted as we walked. Apparently at one time Brimscombe Port was the largest inland port in Britain, and there are plans to reopen the canal as fare as here in the next couple of years. As I looked around the flat and dry area it was hard to believe that this was once a port, and I can imagine that the area can only be improved by the canal being reopened. All of the modern industrial buildings have been bought by British Waterways, and will be pulled down for the development.
The man had been in the army and as we strolled along we chatted about how walking boots have changed over the years. Once the canal towpath had been regained he walked off along another path, and I headed on eastwards towards Brownshill and Chalford. The canal crossed the A419 once more, and here the canal was essentially drained, the muddy bottom clearly accessible. The stroll took me on to the Red Lion pub, and as I was seven and a half miles into the walk I decided to stop in for a rest. The Grand Prix Qualifying was on and so I decided to stay longer to watch it. I had a lovely pint of Moles Bitter and another of orange and lemonade whilst I waited for my food to come. I had ordered a basket of scampi and chips; I was surprised to find that a basket was three pounds cheaper than a plate of the same meal. The food was lovely and as I ate I chatted to the barman about Formula One and other important matters.
Before I left the pub I packed my coat away into my rucksack once again, and within a couple of minutes of setting off it started to drizzle once again. Instead of stopping to put my coat on I walked through it, and within a few minutes it had stopped once more. The towpath joined the Wysis Way, a trail that connects Offa's Dyke Path with the Thames Path via the Severn at Gloucester, and the canal was soon climbing up along a series of abandoned locks through the superb scenery of the Golden Valley. The towpath entered some woodland Trust woodland, and after it exited this it reached the Daneway Inn, a whitewashed building built beside the canal. There was a marquee set up in the car park and music was blasting across the car park, signs of the music festival that was being held. It seemed as though people were enjoying themselves, and I withstood the temptation to go in for a drink and strolled on along the towpath.
A little further on I reached the portal of Sapperton Tunnel, one of the longest canal tunnels in the country. It is currently closed due to a couple of roof and side falls, but there are plans to reopen it with the rest of the canal. The portal was in a magnificent Gothic style, and I explored around a little before climbing up along the path, which crossed the top of the portal, passing immediately behind the castlements. The path then exited the trees, and started climbing steeply uphill. There were some pleasant views from the climb, and before I knew it I reached the village of Sapperton. Another footpath took me up to the top of the village, and what followed was along road walk along what was a fairly quiet road, the occasional cars invariably roaring past me at speed.
It was therefore a relief when my route left the road to cross a field on a footpath towards the A419, and on the other side towards some woodland. By this stage I was feeling quite hot, and the shelter of the trees proved to be very welcome as the footpath followed a couple of tracks as they would through the woods. It took me longer than I expected to walk through the woods, and after passing under a railway bridge the track led on to emerge suddenly at the top of the other portal of the canal, near to the Tunnel Inn. This seemed to be quite busy and there was a little impromptu game of cricket going on in the car park, a tennis ball being used to ensure that the surrounding cars would not be damaged.
I followed a path that led down to the canal, which at this point is in a fairly deep cutting. The canal was dewatered and the concrete lining of the canal used at this point to reduce leakage was easily visible. This stretch of canal can actually hold water well, and the canal society run occasional barge trips a short distance into the tunnel - although it will have to be refilled before it can be used again. I strolled down to the bottom of the canal and tried to look into the tunnel with little success, before climbing up once again and continuing on along the towpath, which ran on a ledge between the cutting side and the canal.
A little further on the towpath passed a curious round stone building, looking quite magnificent and almost as if it was a restored ruin. The towpath then turned and passed under a railway bridge, and the path was increasingly overgrown and dark as the path headed onwards, and on occasion I had to fight overhanging branches. Fairly soon another bridge over the canal was reached, with the overhanging trees making it seem gloomy and depressing. On the other side of the bridge several loads of rubbish had been dumped into the drained canal, the burst black plastic bags adding to the general gloom.
I continued on around the bend beside the bridge and headed southwards along the towpath for a few yards until it was blocked by trees. The path was impassable, so I dropped down the steep side of the bank into the canal bed and started following this. It was easier going through the trees that grew here, and I made relatively good time as I started to realised that, although there was a faint path through the trees, it was not frequently walked and I was probably not on the footpath. Looking at the map I could see the red dotted line denoting a footpath, and it did seem to be on the field side of the canal rather than along the canal. I did not mind the diversion and I continued along the bed until it was blocked by some barbed wire and some garden refuse that had been dumped.
As the way along the canal bed was blocked I climbed up the steep slope onto the canal towpath, and started forcing my way through the trees that grew along it. I knew that I had to make my way to the stone that marks the start of the Thames Path, and in the field below me I could see the top of a couple of heads behind a wall. I shouted down to them to ask where the stone was, and the man stood up and with a smile told me that they were sitting by it! The vegetation was too thick for me to push through, so I continued on for another few yards until it became clearer as I angled down the bank towards a barbed wire fence. This was too loose to climb over, so instead I took my rucksack off and with difficulty slid it down the bank, the sack rolling over a couple of times as it did so. I then followed it, and with joy strolled back to the start of the path.
I soon joined the couple, who were sitting on a patch of grass beside the stone. It was a pleasant spot to stop, and I sat down near them, taking my rucksack off for the second time in five minutes before starting to chat. They had just completed the stretch of the Path from Oxford meaning that the lady had completed the Thames Path. She seemed absolutely ecstatic that the walk had been completed, and I felt similar in the fact that I was about to begin the trail. Eventually they left and I was left sitting there as a steady stream of people came along to visit the stone.
Eventually I felt the need to leave, and after asking someone to take my photograph I shouldered my rucksack and started off southeastwards. Initially the path followed a footpath across fields towards the A433, and there was no sign of any water or stream anywhere; the Thames rises in a spring, and in summer the source is generally very dry. On the other side of the A433 the path continued across more fields towards the A429, and it was just before this was reached that the first sign of the Thames was visible, in the form of a dry, wide channel leading up to a bridge under the road. I descended down to the grassy bed (a sign that it is rarely in water) and clambered up the other side, thus being able to say that I have walked across the Thames!
On the other side of the road the path headed on, bypassing away from Kemble before reaching a road, which was followed into an attractive village called Ewen. After passing through the village the path continued on, and for the first time there was a little stream running in the bed of the river. After passing a gauging station the flow looking barely enough to register the path headed south, crossing fields with the stream to my right. By this stage I was getting tired, and although the going was easy the earlier walking had fatigued me more than I had realised. The path soon reached the Neigh Bridge Country Park, and fishermen still lined the side of the bank despite the fact that it was starting to get late.
A short stretch of road followed, before the trail headed down a track towards Lower Mill, past a series of lakes. There was a new and what looked to be fairly exclusive housing development on the right, the gates leading into the houses making me think who they needed protection from. I struggled on, crossing the border into Wiltshire before reaching the small village of Ashton Keynes. Although I was tired there were still a couple of miles left in my legs, and I was planning to camp somewhere on the path to the southeast of the village, which would reduce what promised to be a long day tomorrow by a useful amount.
The village was pretty, and I enjoyed strolling through it, passing one of several crosses to a road junction. Here a man was opening a gate from a house, and I stopped to ask him if he knew of anywhere that I could camp. He seemed to study me for a moment, before offering me a place in the field beside his house. I accepted the kind offer in an instance, as it meant that I could visit the pub later on, and he took me past the house to a large and neatly-kept field behind. It did not take me long to get my tent erected, and as the sun started sinking ever lower I lay down on a mat and read a book. The lady of the house soon arrived, and after initial alarm at seeing my tent we had a pleasant chat.
After a little rest I felt fairly well recovered, and so I got up off the mat and headed down the road towards the pub. This was fairly packed with locals, and I found a clear space whilst I read and waited for my meal to arrive. This turned out to be filling, and I washed it down with a second pint before eventually heading back to me tent, feeling very pleased with finally having started the Thames Path.
P20068260140	The path heading east towards Ashton Keynes. P20068260144	A stream in Ashton Keynes.
This walk starts off at Stonehouse station, deep in the Cotswold contryside. Leave the station and head down the approach road for about fifty yards until the B4008 Bath Road is reached opposite a church. One this is reached turn left and follow the B4008 southeastwards for a few hundred yards until a junction with the A419 is reached. Turn right to head south down this for about twenty yards until a bridge over a canal is met; cross the bridge, and once on the other side turn left to start following the canal towpath eastwards.
The walk then simply continues along the course of the canal as it climbs eastwards from Stonehouse towards Stroud; in places the towpath is unwalkable due to obstructions (more of which should be removed as the canal slowly gets reopened). From Stroud the canal slowly curves to the right to start heading in a more southeasterly course, and the towpath is easy to walk until it finally gets obliterated by a road at the entrance to Brimscombe Port. Join the road and continue straight on along the level; pass a newly-restored mill on the left and then kink left and almost immediately right, to pass a car park on the left and continue on in an easterly direction.
The road heads on for a short distance until the canal towpath is rejoined once again, with the canal being in water, but unnavigable. It heads eastwards past Brownshill and Chalford, before eventually getting cut off by the A419 in Chalford. Cross the A419 and continue along the canal on the other side; the canal when I walked it was drained and the clay bed was clearly visible. Soon the path enters the Golden Valley, after which a long climb to the summit begins as the canal passes a series of ruined locks.
Eventually the path reaches the last lock by the Daneway Inn, where the canal turns sharply to the right to continue eastwards to the Gothic portal of Sapperton Tunnel. At the portal the path climbs up to the top of the portal, passing directly beside it before entering a field. It climbs diagonally eastwards up this steep field, soon leaving it as the gradient slackens and passes between some cottages before ending at a lane. Turn right along the lane for a few yards until it ends at a road; turn right down the road and them almost immediately turn left to take a footpath that heads uphill southwards before meeting another road by the village green.
Join this road and follow it as it heads southeastwards; after a few hundred metres a crossroads is reached. Continue straight on along this as it heads southeastwards for about a kilometre and it starts to drop downhill. Just before a right-hand bend a footpath leads off to the right; take this footpath as it heads south across a field to the A419 road. Carefully cross the A419, and on the other side continue on along a footpath that heads south towards Hailey Woods.
A track leads through the woods in a southeasterly direction, before curving to take a more southerly direction, passing under a railway bridge and then turning slightly to the left to end above the southeastern portal of the tunnel. Walk over the tunnel mouth, and when the Tunnel Inn is reached turn left to descend back down to the canal towpath. Follow this as it heads south through a cutting to a bridge; after this the canal is dewatered as it curves to the left to head in a more easterly direction. The towpath becomes increasingly rough as it heads eastwards for a kilometre, until another bridge over the canal is reached in a dingy area overhung with trees. Here the canal turns to the right to head southwards, but leave the canal and turn right onto the bridge and onto a lane. When this enters a field follow the edge of the field south along a footpath to the stone that marks the source of the Thames, and the start of the Thames Path.
The walk is also covered in detail in the Thames Path National Trail Guide, by David Sharp, ISBN 1-84513-062-6 published by Aurum Press Ltd. Click on the image to the right to go to the Amazon page for the book.
The last third of this walk follows the Thames Path; for more details, please see the guide book for more details.
Stonehouse station Stroud 2.9 112 121
Stroud Daneway 7.3 925 712
Daneway Source of Thames 4.2 354 354
Source of Thames Ashton Keynes 6.9 43 125
I spent the night camping in a field next to a house in Ashton Keynes, with the owner's permission.
617 Cotswold Way: Tormarton to Dursley 19.9
618 Cotswold Way: Dursley to Painswick 16.7
619 Cotswold Way: Painswick to Dowdeswell Reservoir 18.2


34 Results found for Gregory Peck
#13274: ACADEMY AWARD CEREMONIES, 30TH, THE
1958-03-26, ABC, 31 min.
David Niven, Bob Hope, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Sophia Loren, Maurice Chevalier, Joanne Woodward, Vincent Price, Cary Grant, Doris Day, Fred Astaire, Ronald Reagan, Gregory Peck, Rosalind Russell, Jean Simmons, June Allyson, Miyoshi Umeki, Eva Marie Saint, John WQayne, Anita Eckberg, Sam Spiegel, Dana Wynter
The 30th Academy Award ceremonies are telecast live at the RKO Pantages Theatre In Los Angeles. Personalities include Jennifer Jones, David Niven, June Allyson, Eva Marie Saint, Gregory Peck, Joanne Woodward, Rosalind Russell, Anita Eckberg, Vincent Price, Fred Astaire, Dana Wynter, Bob Hope, Doris Day, Clark Gable, Sophia Loren, Cary Grant, Jean Simmons, Maurice Chevalier, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Sam Spiegel, Ronald Reagan, and Miyoshi Umeki.
Joined in progress.
Hosted by Bob Hope, Rosalind Russell, David Niven, James Stewart, Jack Lemmon, and Clarence Nash (voice of Donald Duck).
Best Picture is awarded to "Bridge On The River Kwai"
NOTE: MANY ABBREVIATED SEGMENTS.
#7502: ACADEMY AWARDS: 35TH ANNUAL
1963-04-08, ABC, min.
Eddie Fisher, Frank Sinatra, Jack Lemmon, Burt Lancaster, Marcello Mastroianni, Bette Davis, Gregory Peck, Patty Duke, Anne Bancroft, Angela Lansbury, Ed Begley, Omar Sharif, Lee Remick, Thelma Ritter, Peter OToole, Katherine Hepburn, Terence Stamp
Frank Sinatra is host for the 35th Annual Academy Awards presentation, telecast live from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California.
#14038: ACADEMY AWARDS: 35TH ANNUAL
Gene Kelly, Eddie Fisher, Frank Sinatra, Maximillian Schell, Robert Goulet, Sophia Loren, Van Heflin, George Chakiris, Olivia De Havilland, Shelley Winters, Bette Davis, Johnny Mercer, Ginger Rogers, Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Patty Duke, Anne Bancroft, Rita Moreno, Ed Begley, Wendell Corey, Eva Marie-Saint, Sam Spiegel, Joshi Umeki
Frank Sinatra is the host for the 35th Annual Academy Awards presentation, telecast live from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California.
Ed Begley wins best-supporting actor award, Patty Duke wins for the best-supporting actress, Henry Mancini, and Johnny Mercer win for best song ("Days Of Wine and Roses") David Lean wins for best director ("Lawrence of Arabia") Gregory Peck wins the best actor ("To Kill a Mocking Bird") Anne Bancroft wins best actress award ("The Miracle Worker") "Lawrence Of Arabia wins best picture award for 1962. Sam Spiegel wins producer award for "Lawrence Of Arabia."
Host: Frank Sinatra
Duplicate of # 7502.
#14276: CIVIL RIGHTS MARCH ON WASHINGTON, THE
1963-08-28, , 150 min.
Anthony Quinn, Frank McGee, Jackie Robinson, Martin Agronsky, Howard K. Smith, Lena Horne, Dick Gregory, Charlton Heston, Paul Newman, Burt Lancaster, Marlon Brando, Robert Ryan, Ray Scherer, Ed Silverman, Gregory Peck, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Franciosa, Harry Belafonte, Marian Anderson, Bob Dylan, James Baldwin, Camilla Williams, Martin Luther King, Roy Wilkens, Lisa Howard, James Farmer, Strom Thurmond, Richard Bates, Eil Abel, Robert McCormack, Norman Thomas, Jim Groden, Russ Ward, Joe Michaels, Steve Cochran, Sidney Poiter, Ruby Dee, Patrick ODoyle, Daisy Bates, Rosa Parks, Floyd McKissick, Walter Reuther, A. Philip Randolph
SPECIAL REPORTS RECORDED ARE INTERLACED IN THESE AUDIO AIR CHECKS THROUGHOUT  THE DAY, STATIONS INTERRUPTING REGULAR PROGRAMMING, IN REAL TIME, AS EVENTS OCCUR. BROADCAST HEARD FROM WINS RADIO NEWS, ABC TELEVISION, WNBC RADIO, AND NBC TELEVISION. COVERAGE BEGINS AT 9:30 AM EASTERN STANDARD TIME.
On the day of this unprecedented extraordinary March on Washington, an estimated  quarter of a million demonstrators planned to gather a the Washington Monument in the nation's capital. People from all walks of life and distances are taking part in a Jobs and Freedom March sponsored by six major civil-rights groups in the country. their goal: "A massive, peaceful and democratic demonstration as evidence of he need for the Federal government to take action on civil rights."
Howard K. Smith and Richard Bates report at the Lincoln Memorial. Ed Silverman reports on the parade march passing the White House, describing different groups who are marching. Jackie Robinson is heard...reports regarding the strength of the crowd now reaching 100,000 people...Eli Abel reports. Robert McCormack reports on Marian Anderson, singer. Advertisements  for Freedom Land and the new Jerry Lewis show, and  The Sunday Night Movie are heard.
Frank McGee reports on the crowds as they reach the Lincoln Memorial. Ray Scherer at the Lincoln Memorial waiting for leaders to arrive anticipates the program will start at 1:30 pm. He describes details of the program. Martin Agronsky reports and interviews Norman Thomas of the Socialist Party, who praises the March. Richard Bates interviews Burt Lancaster. ABC NEWS journalist Lisa Howard interviews James Baldwin at the Washington Monument. He states that this day is a turning point, and that  "Americans will grow up." Report on the many buses arriving with people who are heard singing, "We Shall Overcome." At 11:20 am an up to the hour report from Jim Groden.
Russ Ward interviews Marlon Brando at the Lincoln Memorial (recorded earlier). Joe Michaels reports observations from a Mobile Unit during drive around the surrounding area of Washington D.C. Dick Gregory speaks to the crowd. Bob Dylan, Joan Biaz sing the spiritual song, "Hold ON." Burt Lancaster at the microphone..."The hour which we came approaches." He reads a scroll consisting of 1,500 supporters of the March. Announcements of the names of the speakers who will preside shortly are stated. Introduction of Harry Belafonte who reads some of the names on the scroll, including Marlon Brando, Tony Franciosa, Sammy Davis Jr., Steve Cochran, Robert Ryan, Sidney Poiter, Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, Paul Newman, Charlton Heston, Lena Horne, Ruby Dee, others. Harry
Belafonte reads the pledge in its entirety, called "FREEDOM FOR ALL-THE AMERICAN DREAM." Marlon Brando is interviewed and states that "...all of us have been remiss in not voicing out..." On the podium Philip Randolph speaks, and introduces Camilla Williams who sings the National Anthem. Invocation by Patrick O'Doyle who sates, "This is the largest demonstration in the history of this nation." Additional reports from different stations. Miss Daisy Bates gives a special award to Rosa Parks. Walter Reuther speaks, as well as Floyd McKissick, National Chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality...speaking for James Farmer who is in prison.
Senator Strom Thurmond from South Carolina voices his opinions...thinks that the March on Washington is unnecessary!
Howard K. Smith gives a commentary. Richard Bates reports, stating that the rally should wind up at around 4:40 pm. Freedom song is heard, "Freedom is Worth Shouting About." Mahalia Jackson sings a song requested by Dr. Martin Luther King, "I've Been Duped and I've Been Scared." A. Philip Randolph speaks abut the movement and those individuals whom have been devoted to the cause. Introduction of  "moral leader of our nation," Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who gives his iconic 16 minute "I Have a Dream" speech.
#14276C: CIVIL RIGHTS MARCH ON WASHINGTON, THE
1963-08-28, , 46 min.
*Highlights
from ATA #14276 which runs 150 minutes.
Some of the names notated here may be omitted from this condensed version which runs 46 minutes.
#947: INSIDE THE MOVIE KINGDOM: 1964
Anthony Quinn, Debbie Reynolds, James Garner, Stanley Kramer, Peter Ustinov, Anthony Perkins, Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Jules Dassin, Fred Zinnemann, J. Lee Thompson, Sammy Davis Jr., J.P. Miller, Arthur Hiller, Bernard Wicki, Samuel Bronston, Robert Lawrence
Host and narrator James Garner takes us behind the scenes inside many studios and inside the minds and hearts of the makers of movies. Insights are provided by Debbie Reynolds, Anthony Quinn, Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Jules Dassin, Fred Zinnemann, Peter Ustinov, J. Lee Thompson, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Perkins, J.P. Miller, Arthur Hiller, Bernard Wicki, Stanley Kramer, Samuel Bronston, and Robert Lawrence.
Donna Reed, Steve McQueen, Shirley Jones, Frank Sinatra, Rock Hudson, Edward G. Robinson, Rita Hayworth, Jack Lemmon, Anne Baxter, Gregory Peck, Sammy Davis Jr., Patty Duke, Anne Bancroft, Sidney Poitier, Julie Andrews, Ed Begley
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents its 36th annual Oscar Awards. Among the celebrities presenting awards are Julie Andrews, Anne Baxter, Rita Hayworth, Rock Hudson, Shirley Jones, Steve McQueen, Sidney Poitier, Donna Reed, Edward G. Robinson, and Frank Sinatra. Jack Lemmon is the host at the Santa Monica California Civic Auditorium. He introduces song-and-dance man Sammy Davis Jr., a short film history of the Awards, and the Award presenters, including last year's four top winners: Gregory Pick, Anne Bancroft, Ed Begley, and Patty Duke.
Andy Williams, James Darren, Harve Presnell and Kayna Ranieri sing this years nominated songs.
#14488: ACADEMY AWARDS: 36TH ANNUAL, ABC RADIO
1964-04-13, ABC, 100 min.
Donna Reed, Steve McQueen, Shirley Jones, Frank Sinatra, Jack Linkletter, Rock Hudson, Edward G. Robinson, Rita Hayworth, Jack Lemmon, Anne Baxter, Gregory Peck, Sammy Davis Jr., Patty Duke, Anne Bancroft, Sidney Poitier, Julie Andrews, Ed Begley, Irv Kupcinet
Andy Williams, James Darren, Harve Presnell, and Kayna Ranieri sing this year's nominated songs. Behind the scenes (press room) after Oscars, short interviews with Sidney Poitier and Irv Kupcinet.
ABC radio simulcast with announcer Jack Linkletter.
#14800: ACADEMY AWARDS, 37TH ANNUAL, THE
Jimmy Durante, Jonathan Winters, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Steve McQueen, Martha Raye, Bob Hope, Rock Hudson, George Cukor, Karl Malden, Vince Edwards, Greer Garson, Joan Crawford, Fred Astaire, Arlene Dahl, Merle Oberon, Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Dick Van Dyke, Rosalind Russell, Sidney Poitier, Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews, Deborah Kerr, Jean Simmons, Rex Harrison, Richard Chamberlin, Jack Warner, Art Greene, Lila Kedrova
Bob Hope is the host for The 37th Annual Academy Award presentations from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California.
Best Actor: Rex Harrison ("My Fair Lady")
Best Actress: Julie Andrews ("Mary Poppins")
Best Picture: ("My Fair Lady")
Best Director: George Cukor ("My Fair Lady")
This is Bob Hope's 14th time as Master Of Ceremonies for the Academy Award presentations.
#15136: ACADEMY AWARD CEREMONIES
Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Julie Andrews, Lee Marvin, Gregory Peck, Shelley Winters, Julie Christie, Jason Robards, Peter Ustinov, Joanne Woodward, George Peppard, David Lean, Natalie Wood, Rex Harrison, Irene Kerdova, Jack Lemmon, Phyllis Diller
The 38th Annual Academy Award ceremonies telecast live from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. This was the first color broadcast of the award ceremonies.
Best Actor: Lee Marvin (Cat Ballou)
Best Actress: Julie Christie (Dr. Zhivago)
Best Supporting Actor: Martin Balsam
Best Supporting Actress: Shelley Winters
Best Film ( Sound Of Music)
Best Musical Score: Dr. Zhivago
William Wyler is awarded the Irving Thalberg Award.
Host: Bob Hope.
1968-04-10, WABC, 139 min.
Mike Nichols, Gene Kelly, Danny Kaye, Alfred Hitchcock, Shirley Jones, Martha Raye, Bob Hope, Stanley Kramer, Rock Hudson, Carol Channing, Rod Steiger, Robert Wise, Grace Kelly, Diahann Carroll, Robert Morse, Katharine Hepburn, Angie Dickinson, Olivia De Havilland, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Sterling Silliphant, Natalie Wood, Hank Sims, Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Patty Duke, Anne Bancroft, Dame Edith Evans, Walter Mirisch, George Kennedy, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross, MacDonald Carey, Barbara Rush, Eva Marie Saint, Richard Crenna, Elke Sommer, Walter Matthau, Estelle Parsons, Hal Ashby, Rosalind Russell, Barbra Streisand, Sidney Poitier, Julie Andrews, Claire Bloom
Bob Hope is the host for the 14th time of the 40th annual Academy Awards.He would host this gala event alone only one more time; 10 years later in 1978, celebrating the 50th anniversary of this annual presentation. Academy President Gregory Peck gives tribute to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bob Hope commences the program with a monologue. Presenters and award winners include Carol Channing, Patty Duke, George Kennedy, and Katharine Hepburn. In a salute to the history of the Oscar and its first decade of development, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross, MacDonald Carey, Diahann Carroll, Robert Morse, Barbara Rush, Eva Marie Saint, Martha Raye, Olivia
de Havilland, who salutes Oscar's second decade, Natalie Wood, Richard Crenna, Elke Sommer, Walter Matthau, Estelle Parsons, Dame Edith Evans, Grace Kelly, who salutes Oscar's third decade, Hal Ashby, Rosalind Russell, Anne Bancroft, who salutes Oscar's fourth decade, Danny Kaye, Rock Hudson, Shirley Jones, Angie Dickinson,
Gene Kelly, Barbra Streisand, Robert Wise, Claire Bloom, Rod Steiger, Alfred Hitchcock, Mike Nichols, Sterling Silliphant, Stanley Kramer, Audrey Hepburn, Sidney Poitier, Julie Andrews, and Walter Mirisch. Bob Hope concludes with some serious remarks reflecting the assassination of Martin Luther King regarding bigotry and the purpose of motion pictures...to reflect the human condition. Hank Sims is the announcer.
George Kennedy-Best supporting actor
Estelle Parsons_Best supporting actress
Alfred Hitchcock: Irving Thalberg Award.
Estelle Parsons- Best supporting actress
See #1047 for details.
#15782: TONY AWARDS: 22ND ANNUAL, THE
Gregory Peck, Peter Ustinov, Joanne Woodward, Leslie Uggams, Tony Randall, Melina Mercouri, Paul Newman, Angela Lansbury, Art Carney, Anne Bancroft, Sandy Dennis, Groucho Marx, Martin Balsam, Robert Goulet, Robert Hooks, Anthony Roberts, Albert Finney, Milo Oshea, Alan Webb, Zoe Caldwell, Colleen Dewhurst, Maureen Stapleton, David Wayne, Dorothy Tutin, Patricia Routledge, Brenda Vaccaro
Angela Lansbury and Peter Ustinov host the 1968 version of the Tony Awards (Broadway's Oscar). The ceremonies, telecast from the Shubert Theater in New York City, include production numbers from "Hello Dolly," "Golden Rainbow," "The Happy Time," "How Now Dow Jones?" "Mame," and "Hallelujah, Baby!"
Award presenters include Art Carney, Anne Bancroft, Sandy Dennis, Groucho Marx, Paul Newman, Gregory Peck, Tony Randall and Joanne Woodward. Major categories and nominees are listed below.
Best play: "Joe Egg," "Plaza Suite," "The Price," "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead."
Best Musical: "The Happy Time," "Hallelujah,Baby!" "How Now Dow Jones?" "Illya Darling."
Dramatic actor/actress: Martin Balsam, Albert Finney, Milo O'Shea, Alan Webb, Zoe Caldwell, Colleen Dewhurst, Maureen Stapleton, Dorothy Tutin.
Musical actor/actress: Robert Goulet, Robert Hooks, Anthony Roberts, David Wayne, Melina Mercouri, Patricia Routledge, Leslie Uggams, Brenda Vaccaro.
Missing from tonight's show is the melodramatic "may I have this envelope, please?" Instead of nervous fumbling, viewers will see the nominees and winners names in lights. Nominations will be lighted up on a theater marquee as they are announced.
#785: HOLLYWOOD: THE SELZNICK YEARS
Alfred Hitchcock, Rock Hudson, George Cukor, King Vidor, Janet Gaynor, Joseph Cotten, Henry Fonda, David O. Selznick, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Fontaine, Dorothy McGuire, Russell Birdwell, Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck
Henry Fonda narrates the legacy of movie titan David O. Selznick. Anecdotes recalled by Ingrid Bergman, Russell Birdwell, Joseph Cotten, George Cukor, Joan Fontaine, Janet Gaynor, Katharine Hepburn, Alfred Hitchcock, Rock Hudson, Dorothy McGuire, Gregory Peck and King Vidor.
#8283: HOLLYWOOD: THE SELZNICK YEARS
Henry Fonda narrates the legacy of movie titan David O. Selznick. Anecdotes recalled by Ingrid Bergman, Russell Birdwell, Joseph Cotten, George Cukor, Joan Fontaine, Janet Gaynor, Katharine Hepburn, Alfred Hitchcock, Rock Hudson, Dorothy McGuire, Gregory Peck, and King Vidor.
Duplicate of #785.
#1065: ACADEMY AWARDS: 41ST ANNUAL
Martha Raye, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Jane Fonda, Tony Curtis, Diahann Carroll, Burt Lancaster, John Woolf, Anthony Harvey, Natalie Wood, Hank Sims, Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Marni Nixon, Don Rickles, Mel Brooks, Aretha Franklin, Walter Matthau, Rosalind Russell, Barbra Streisand, Sidney Poitier, Jack Albertson, Boris Levin, Abbey Lincoln, Jose Feliciano, Ruth Gordon, Henry Mancini, Onna White, Carol Reed, Jean Hersholt
The best performances & achievements from 1968 are honored as the 41st Academy Awards are telecast from the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion. Gregory Peck introduces the "Friends of Oscar," presenters who serve as hosts. They include Ingrid Bergman, Sidney Poitier, Jane Fonda, Frank Sinatra, Natalie Wood, Walter Matthau, Diahann Carroll, Tony Curtis, Rosalind Russell, and Burt Lancaster. Frank Sinatra sings an opening number from the motion picture "Star!" Jack Albertson accepts a best supporting actor award, the first of many awards given this evening. Other
award winners and performers include Boris Levin, Abbey Lincoln, Jose Feliciano, Ruth Gordon, Marni Nixon, Henri Mancini, Don Rickles, Mel Brooks, Onna White, Aretha Franklin, Carol Reed, Bob Hope, Martha Raye (the first woman recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award), Anthony Harvey, Barbra Streisand, and John Woolf. Hank Sims introduces and closes the program.
#8353: JACK BENNY'S NEW LOOK
Jack Benny, George Burns, Henny Youngman, Gregory Peck, Nancy Sinatra, Lucille Ball, Gary Puckett, Eddie Anderson
Jack Benny displays his groovy new look in this 1969 TV special.
Jack Benny, George Burns, Gregory Peck, Nancy Sinatra, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Gary Puckett and The Union Gap
A comedy-variety special "Jack Benny Hour" broadcast, with guest stars.
#1091: ACADEMY AWARDS: 42ND ANNUAL
Mike Nichols, Billy Wilder, George Jessel, Michel Legrand, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Clint Eastwood, Myrna Loy, Barbara McNair, John Schlesinger, Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, The Sandpipers, Gig Young, Franco Zeffirelli, Akira Kurosawa, Sergei Bonarchuck, Conrad Hall, David Lean, Arthur Rubinstein, Maggie Smith, Ingmar Bergman, Elizabeth Taylor, Raquel Welch, Gregory Peck, Katharine Ross, Lou Rawls, Glen Campbell, Barbra Streisand, Jon Voight, Candice Bergen, James Earl Jones, Cliff Robertson, Ali McGraw, Elliot Gould, Claudia Cardinale, Federico Fellini
The best performances and achievements from 1969. The 42nd Academy Awards ceremony is telecast live from Hollywood. Awards are presented by seventeen "Friends of Oscar": Bob Hope, John Wayne, Barbra Streisand, Fred Astaire, Jon Voight, Myrna Loy, Clint Eastwood, Raquel Welch, Candice Bergen, James Earl Jones, Katharine Ross, Cliff Robertson, Ali McGraw, Barbara McNair, Elliot Gould, Claudia Cardinale and, wearing a much publicized $1.5 million diamond, Elizabeth Taylor. Other celebrities contributing to this gala event are Gregory Peck, Lou Rawls, Frederico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, David Lean, Akira Kurosawa, John Schlesinger, Franco Zeffirelli, Billy Wilder, Mike
Nichols, Sergei Bonarchuk, Glen Campbell, Conrad Hall, George Jessel, Arthur Rubinstein, B.J. Thomas. Frank Sinatra presents a special Oscar award to Cary Grant. Additional stars on this telecast include Gig Young, the Sandpipers, Michel Legrand & Maggie Smith.
#9264: THE RECORD MAKERS
Charlton Heston, Willie Mays, Arnold Palmer, Bing Crosby, Gregory Peck, Paul McCartney, Flip Wilson, Johnny Unitas, Buzz Aldrin, Willie Shoemaker
Excellence in sports and entertainment achievements as recorded in the Guinness Book Of World Records.
Host: Flip Wilson
#1115: PLAYHOUSE NEW YORK: HOLLYWOOD - YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS
1972-05-19, WNET, 87 min.
James Cagney, John Cassavettes, Lee Marvin, Richard Schickel, Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth, Humphrey Bogart, John Huston, Walter Huston, Robert Mitchum, Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Orson Welles, John Garfield, Charlie Chaplin, Jean Arthur, Raoul Walsh, Howard Hawks, Claude Raines, Albert Maltz, Frank Capra, Dalton Trumbo
James Cagney, Charlie Chaplin, Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, Humphrey Bogart, Raoul Walsh, John Houston, John Garfield, Howard Hawks, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Walter Huston, Gregory Peck, Lee Marvin, Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles, Robert Mitchum, Albert Maltz, Frank Capra, Dalton Trumbo, and others are personalities remembered by writer Richard Schickel in this retrospective of the 40's in the film industry. John Cassavettes narrates. Written by Richard Schickel.
#822: AFI SALUTE TO JOHN FORD
James Stewart, Richard M. Nixon, John Ford, Frank Sinatra, Jack Lemmon, Charlton Heston, Maureen O'Hara, Gregory Peck
The American Film Institute premieres this annual event by honoring Mr. John Ford. President Richard M. Nixon is among the notables paying tribute along with Charlton Heston, Jack Lemmon, Maureen O'Hara, Gregory Peck, Frank Sinatra, James Stewart and John Wayne. Danny Kaye is host.
#7521: AFI SALUTE TO WILLIAM WYLER
1976-03-14, CBS, 90 min.
Jim Backus, William Wyler, James Stewart, Jack Lemmon, Myrna Loy, Henry Fonda, Charlton Heston, Greer Garson, Angie Dickinson, Lauren Bacall, Merle Oberon, Jack Nicholson, Eddie Albert, Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Harold Russell, Walter Matthau, Barbra Streisand, Burt Bacharach, James Brolin, Cheryl Tiegs, Betty Ford, Charles Bronson, Walter Pigeon, Max Baer, Jr, Helen Gurley Brown, Jill Ireland, Veronique Peck
The American Film Institute presents the 1976 Lifetime Achievement Award to director, producer, William Wyler.
#1146: AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE SALUTES WILLIAM WYLER
William Wyler, James Stewart, Myrna Loy, Henry Fonda, Charlton Heston, Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Merle Oberon, Eddie Albert, Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Harold Russell, Barbra Streisand
A live achievement award salute to famed motion picture director William Wyler. Guests paying tribute to Wyler are Eddie Albert, Henry Fonda, Greer Garson, Audrey Hepburn, Charlton Heston, Myrna Loy, Merle Oberon, Gregory Peck, Walter Pidgeon, Harold Russell, James Stewart and Barbra Streisand.
#844: NBC'S FIRST 50 YEARS
1976-11-21, WFRV, 230 min.
David Brinkley, Jerry Lewis, Gene Kelly, John Chancellor, Milton Berle, Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, George C. Scott, Don Meredith, Freddie Prinze, Gregory Peck, Orson Welles, Jack Albertson
NBC celebrates its golden anniversary in radio and television. Recalled is a half century of stars and shows. Orson Welles is the narrator and there are fifteen hosts: Jack Albertson, Milton Berle, David Brinkley, Johnny Carson, John Chancellor, Angie Dickinson, Joe Garagiola, Bob Hope, Gene Kelly, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Don Meredith, Gregory Peck, Freddie Prinze and George C. Scott.
#8872: MIKE DOUGLAS SHOW, THE
1977-01-12, SYN, 90 min.
Red Buttons, Rona Barrett, Mike Douglas, Gregory Peck, Yvonne Decarlo, Ron Samuels, Frank McCarthy
1963-1982 (SYNDICATED). Mike Douglas hosted one of television's longest-running talk shows (19 years). Each week Douglas was joined by a different co-host. In 1967, "The Mike Douglas Show" became the first syndicated talk show to win an Emmy Award.
Broadcast from 1963-1978 in Philadelphia
Broadcast from 1978-1982 in Los Angeles
Co-Host: Rona Barrett
#9075: PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS: THIRD ANNUAL, THE
1977-02-10, CBS, 120 min.
Carol Burnett, Goldie Hawn, Jack Klugman, Redd Foxx, Bob Hope, Peter Fonda, Carl Reiner, William Holden, Frank Gifford, Angie Dickinson, Ron Howard, Telly Savalas, Gregory Peck, Dick Van Dyke, Lee Majors, Rick Dees, Penny Marshall, Peter Marshall, Georgia Engel, Gerald Ford, Army Archerd, Earl Holliman, Scatman Crothers, David Doyle, Robert Conrad, Jaclyn Smith, John Denver, John Amos, LeVar Burton, Kate Jackson, Michael Douglas, Brad Davis, Joyce Brothers, Mary Tyler Moore, Maureen OHara, Farah Fawcett, Candy Clark, Jodie Foster, Daryl Dragon, Paul Michael Glaser, Susan Blakly, George Stanford-Brown, Olivia Cole, Louis Gossett, Jr., Hilly Hicks, Bill Hudson, Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, Stan Margulies, Lynne Moody, Olivia Newton -John
The Third Annual People's Choice Awards are presented.
CO-Hosts: Dick Van Dyke and Army Archerd.
#10064: PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS: THIRD ANNUAL, THE
#9061: OSCAR'S BEST MOVIES, THE
Gregory Peck, Walter Matthau, Julie Andrews, Katherine Ross
Highlights of movies that have won an Academy Award.
Hosts: Walter Matthau, Julie Andrews, Katherine Ross, and Gregory Peck.
#10017: GREGORY PECK: "A LIVING BIOGRAPHY."
Vincent Price, Celeste Holm, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Joan Collins, Gregory Peck, Peter Lawford, Lee Remick, Sheliah Graham
A retrospective on the career of actor Gregory Peck by his friends and colleagues. Interviews with Celeste Holm, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Vincent Price, Lee Remick, Joan Collins, and Sheilah Graham.
Host: Peter Lawford.
#8222: GREGORY PECK: A LIVING BIOGRAPHY
Vincent Price, Celeste Holm, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Gregory Peck, Peter Lawford, Henry King, Sheilah Graham
The career of Gregory Peck is profiled.
Host: Peter Lawford
#850: AFI SALUTE TO HENRY FONDA
1978-03-15, WBAY, 101 min.
James Stewart, Richard Widmark, Fred MacMurray, James Garner, Kirk Douglas, Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Henry Fonda, Charlton Heston, Lloyd Nolan, James Dunn, Ron Howard, Jane Alexander, Lillian Gish, Bette Davis, Billy Dee Williams, Dorothy McGuire, Marsha Mason, Gregory Peck, Richard Burton, Lucille Ball
Tributes to Henry Fonda are given by daughter Jane Fonda, son Peter Fonda, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Lucille Ball, Jack Lemmon, Charlton Heston, Barbara Stanwyck, Kirk Douglas, Gregory Peck, Richard Burton, James Garner, Fred MacMurray, Marsha Mason, Dorothy McGuire, Lloyd Nolan, Jane Alexander, James Dunn, Lillian Gish, Ron Howard, Richard Widmark and Billy Dee Williams.
#5254: GEORGE BURNS' 100TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
George Jessel, Goldie Hawn, Milton Berle, Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Dean Martin, George Burns, Gregory Peck, Don Rickles, Pat Boone, Helen Reddy, Steve Martin, Jimmy Stewart, Andy Gibb, Debby Boone
With dry wit, a show business great marks his 100th birthday- 17 years early. Burns, who actually surpassed his 100th birthday in January of 1996 banters with many show business friends.
#6737: GEORGE BURNS
George Jessel, Milton Berle, Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Dean Martin, George Burns, Gregory Peck, Don Rickles, Pat Boone, Helen Reddy, Steve Martin, Jimmy Stewart, Debby Boone
Special: A birthday celebration from 1979 for George (then 83), who talks about vaudeville; banters with Milton Berle, Jimmy Stewart, Helen Reddy, Gregory Peck, Don Rickles and George Jessel; and accepts sarcastic tributes from Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Dean Martin, Steve Martin, and Pat and Debby Boone. (Repeat)


He focuses on the national security side of the Justice beat, including counterterrorism and counterintelligence. Lucas also covers a host of other justice issues, including the Trump administration's "tough-on-crime" agenda and anti-trust enforcement.
Before joining NPR, Lucas worked for a decade as a foreign correspondent for The Associated Press based in Poland, Egypt and Lebanon. In Poland, he covered the fallout from the revelations about secret CIA prisons in Eastern Europe. In the Middle East, he reported on the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and the turmoil that followed. He also covered the Libyan civil war, the Syrian conflict and the rise of the Islamic State. He reported from Iraq during the U.S. occupation and later during the Islamic State takeover of Mosul in 2014.
He also covered intelligence and national security for Congressional Quarterly.
Lucas earned a bachelor's degree from The College of William and Mary, and a master's degree from Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland.
DOJ National Security Boss Is Moving On — But Cyber, China Threats Aren't
By Ryan Lucas • 23 hours ago
When John Demers came in to lead the Justice Department's national security division, the United States was grappling with the fallout from Russia's cyberattack on the 2016 election.
Now, as he and the Trump administration prepare to leave office, the U.S. is dealing with another massive hack that American officials have again pinned on Moscow.
"Well, there is a certain symmetry to all of this," Demers said in an interview with NPR as his time at the Justice Department draws to a close.
Trump Issues Additional 26 Pardons And 3 Commutations
By Ryan Lucas • Dec 23, 2020
Barr Says No Need For Special Counsel For Hunter Biden Probe, Election Fraud Claims
Attorney General William Barr said Monday he sees no reason to appoint a special counsel to lead the ongoing federal investigation into Hunter Biden or to probe further President Trump's claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
List Of Federal Agencies Affected By A Major Cyberattack Continues To Grow
In His Final Weeks, Trump Could Dole Out Many Pardons To Friends, Allies
By Ryan Lucas • Dec 3, 2020
On more than one occasion, President Trump has demonstrated his willingness to use his pardon power to pluck a political ally or associate out of legal trouble.
Barr Says No Election Fraud Has Been Found By Federal Authorities
Trump Pardons Michael Flynn Despite Guilty Plea For Lying About Russia Contact
By Ryan Lucas • Nov 26, 2020
Trump Pardons Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn
President Trump has issued a pardon to his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Flynn had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and then recanted. This ends a years-long saga, which NPR's Ryan Lucas has been long following. And he joins us now.
Once Out Of Office, Trump Faces Significant Legal Jeopardy
Of all the perks of being president, Donald Trump may soon miss most the legal protection that it affords.
For four years, Trump has benefited from the de facto immunity from prosecution that all presidents enjoy while in office. But that cloak will pass to Joe Biden when he's sworn in on Jan. 20, leaving Trump out in the legal cold.
E. Jean Carroll Suit Against Trump To Proceed After Judge Rules Against DOJ
By Ryan Lucas • Oct 27, 2020
A federal judge has denied the Justice Department's attempt to intervene on President Trump's behalf in a defamation lawsuit filed by a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her in the mid-1990s.
In her memoir published last year, writer E. Jean Carroll accused the president of raping her in the dressing room of a Manhattan department store more than two decades ago.
Trump denied the allegations and accused her of lying to sell books.


Why Is There A Coronavirus Test Shortage? One Reason: We Don't Have Enough Swabs Widespread testing for COVID-19 is still not happening in the U.S. Although experts have been urging the federal government since February, it took until late April to ramp up production.
Everything you need to know about the global pandemic
Despite Early Warnings, U.S. Took Months To Expand Swab Production For COVID-19 Test
Despite Early Warnings, U.S. Took Months To Expand Swab Production For COVID-19 Test 5:11
May 12, 20204:46 PM ET
Sacha Pfeiffer
Meg Anderson
Barbara Van Woerkom
Medical workers prepare to use a swab to administer a coronavirus test at a drive-through center on March 21 in Jericho, N.Y. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images hide caption
Medical workers prepare to use a swab to administer a coronavirus test at a drive-through center on March 21 in Jericho, N.Y.
The Trump administration says it will now spend billions of dollars to help states make COVID-19 testing more widely available, a move meant to address months-long complaints about test shortages.
But here's the puzzle: Many labs say they have plenty of tests. So what's the disconnect?
Turns out a "test" is not a single device. COVID-19 testing involves several steps, each one requiring different supplies, and there are shortages of different supplies at different times in different places.
But despite warnings about supply shortages by health experts and governors at least as early as February, the federal government took until late April to ramp up domestic production of swabs — a universal ingredient in the most common type of COVID-19 test.
The swab test checks for active infections, unlike an antibody test, which involves drawing blood to check whether the body has recovered from the virus.
Step 1 of a swab test is collecting a sample, and the most common way to do that is by swabbing a patient's nose or throat. Sample collection usually involves a swab, a tube and a chemical solution called "viral transport media," which keeps the sample fresh as it travels to a laboratory. There are dozens of types of FDA-approved swab tests, and the swabbing is usually done at hospitals, community health centers or drive-through testing sites.
U.S. Coronavirus Testing Still Falls Short. How's Your State Doing?
Tracking The Pandemic: How Quickly Is The Coronavirus Spreading State By State?
Step 2 takes place at a lab. There, genetic material is extracted from the sample. That requires a special machine and chemicals called reagents.
Once the genetic material is extracted, Step 3 occurs: A machine checks whether that genetic material contains any of the coronavirus. If it does, the sample has tested positive for COVID-19.
"A test is not simply a one-component test, but is made up of many different components," said Heather Pierce, senior director for science policy and regulatory counsel at the Association of American Medical Colleges. "If any one of those components is missing or has insufficient quantities, the test can't happen."
The COVID-19 testing process has been plagued by missing components, including swabs, reagents and the chemical solution that keeps samples fresh. Some weeks, there are shortages of some but not others, or one location has them and another doesn't.
Take swabs. They are able to work with any approved swab test. The name suggests something as simple as a Q-tip, but they are more specialized. Nasopharyngeal swabs, as they're called, are considered medical devices and must be long and flexible enough to get all the way through the nose to the back of the throat.
At an April 17 press briefing, President Trump said that in the next few weeks, the federal government would be sending millions of swabs to the states, and he added: "Mostly, it's cotton. It's not a big deal."
But Trump was wrong. Cotton can interfere with test results because it contains its own genetic material, so nasopharyngeal swabs are typically made of polyester, nylon, foam or some other synthetic material.
President Trump compares a cotton swab (left) to a swab that could be used in coronavirus testing during a briefing on April 19. Two days prior, Trump erroneously said cotton swabs could be used for coronavirus testing. Patrick Semansky/AP hide caption
President Trump compares a cotton swab (left) to a swab that could be used in coronavirus testing during a briefing on April 19. Two days prior, Trump erroneously said cotton swabs could be used for coronavirus testing.
On April 20, Vice President Pence, speaking publicly about a phased reopening of the economy, said this: "By our best estimates, we have enough testing capacity today for every state in America to go to Phase 1."
But "testing capacity" does not necessarily mean testing is happening. Remember: Testing involves not just swabbing, but also having a sample analyzed at a lab. And labs may have the machines that analyze samples, but if there aren't enough swabs, those machines may sit idle. In other words, a shortage of swabs may prevent labs from operating at full testing capacity.
So why is there a shortage of something as seemingly simple as swabs?
For one reason, there had been only two major manufacturers of these swabs worldwide — Puritan Medical Products in Maine and Copan Diagnostics in Italy. When COVID-19 hit and demand for swabs skyrocketed, the companies became overwhelmed and couldn't keep up.
"I don't think the United States was prepared," said Timothy Templet, Puritan's executive vice president of global sales. "That includes us, Puritan. It includes our customers. And it includes the government ... And now it gets really nerve-wracking to think that we may be in this for another couple years."
Puritan Medical Products employees work in the Guilford, Maine, plant in 2017. On April 29, 2020, the federal government announced Puritan had been awarded a $75.5 million contract to produce more swabs for coronavirus testing. Carl D. Walsh/Portland Press Herald via Getty hide caption
Carl D. Walsh/Portland Press Herald via Getty
Puritan Medical Products employees work in the Guilford, Maine, plant in 2017. On April 29, 2020, the federal government announced Puritan had been awarded a $75.5 million contract to produce more swabs for coronavirus testing.
The U.S. government could have been amassing swabs in the Strategic National Stockpile, a federal warehouse of medical supplies, but was not.
The government also has the Defense Production Act, a tool the Trump administration used in late March to require General Motors to produce more ventilators for coronavirus patients. But the administration did not act as quickly to use that tool for swab shortages, even though some people were advising that.
"Weeks ago," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee told NPR on April 16, "I spoke to the president and urged him to invoke the Defense Production Act and mobilize the incredible supply chains that the Department of Defense has and to ask them to convert some of their production from other hardware and software to swabs and contact vials and machines that can do analysis. And he did not agree with that assessment, and we lost weeks, frankly."
That was not the first time the federal government had been warned of swab shortages.
On Feb. 12, at a hearing on pandemic preparedness, a group of prominent health experts told a U.S. Senate committee that the country has a testing supply chain problem. On March 16, former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb tweeted that "swabs could be a weak link in broadening testing." On March 17, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo told CNN that "the problem is swabs." During the same time period, there were other public distress calls about supply shortages.
In mid-March, the government acted: It flew shipments of swabs from Italy to the U.S. But that still didn't meet demand, and complaints about shortages were still continuing in mid-April. On April 19, President Trump said he would use the Defense Production Act to increase swab production. On April 29, the government said Puritan Medical Products had been awarded a $75.5 million contract to produce more swabs.
A health care worker seals a coronavirus swab after testing at a coronavirus testing site on April 30 in Wantagh, N.Y. Al Bello/Getty Images hide caption
A health care worker seals a coronavirus swab after testing at a coronavirus testing site on April 30 in Wantagh, N.Y.
Puritan's goal is to produce at least an additional 20 million swabs a month, and it's building a new factory to do that. But it's hard to say whether that's enough to meet demand because it's difficult to get consensus on how much COVID-19 testing the U.S. should be doing, and how many swabs can be produced.
Consider the experience of the American Society for Microbiology, which asked in mid-April to speak with Dr. Deborah Birx's team on the White House coronavirus task force to find out what was being done to address testing supply shortages — and discovered that the White House was trying to figure out the same thing.
"Something happened that was very surprising," recalled Dr. Robin Patel, the organization's president. "First of all, Ambassador Birx is a wonderful person and has very good insight into the challenges that are happening ... but what they did is they turned around and they asked the American Society for Microbiology to help with this situation. That's not why we were there. We were there asking for information."
So Patel's group gave the coronavirus task force its feedback.
"We are pleased to be able to help," said Patel, noting that the pandemic is a complicated situation and that everyone needs to work together to solve it. "But we were not there to volunteer to help. That was what was surprising — was the ask back to us."
The American Society for Microbiology's experience makes clear that nearly three months into the pandemic, the Trump administration was still struggling to understand the shortage of swabs and other test supplies, and how to fix it.
To help address the shortage, the FDA has approved more types of swabs, and an Ohio company is converting a plant to make swabs. The FDA has also approved a saliva test that does not require a swab.
And this week, the White House said it would send $11 billion to state governments to expand testing and make sure each state has enough testing supplies, although it said it wants to focus on high-risk communities like nursing homes.
So it remains unclear how widespread testing will ever be in the U.S.
NPR's Laura Sullivan, Graham Smith and Tim Mak contributed to this story.


By Gnanesh D
In 1941 Hitler followed what Napolean did in 1812. They both invaded Russia and ended by not just losing the battle but also the war. Both their armies were far superior on all fronts to the Russian army of respective periods. What then resulted in these history-defining losses?
“Conditions”, Both the armies and the leaders were masters on their own turfs. However, Russia proved to be a very different terrain, and the elements impacted what would have been a routine operation. A combination of unfamiliar terrain, ill-preparedness, and bad judgment lost them defining moments in their conquests.
What has Napolean and Hitler got to do with Machine Learning you might wonder. Machine Learning models are built and trained from historical data in a benevolent environment and are employed to make predictions on new data where many times, they are ill-prepared to deal with changes in data. In our last post, we discussed monitoring in Machine Learning. In this article let’s explore the two most significant changes that can occur in data, concept drift and data drift.
Concept Drift
Concept drift refers to the change in the target variable over time in unforeseeable ways. Concept drift arises when our interpretation of the data changes even while the data may not have. Generally, the word concept refers to the quantity to be predicted.
There are different ways in concept drift can happen
A gradual change over time.
An incremental change.
A recurring or cyclical change.
A sudden or abrupt change.
What we agreed upon as belonging to class A in the past, we claim now that it should belong to class B, as our understanding of the properties of A and B have changed since. This is pure concept drift.
A piece of text(Corona) could legitimately be labeled as belonging to one class (Beer) in the past but belonging to a different class (Corona Virus) now. So the predictions from a model built in the past are going to be largely in error for the same data now.
Data Drift
Data drift refers to the change of properties of features used to train the model. Formally
Data drift between source distribution S and a target distribution T can be defined as a change in the joint distribution of features and target
Data drift can occur due to a change in the distribution of data. For example, an e-commerce apparel company might start serving a product that wins a lot of teenage customers, which is significantly different from its target market of 25-35 years.
Data drift can occur when data schema changes at the source. Some of the schema changes can be mentioned as a new feature being added, one of the existing features being deleted, or the type of a field is changed. In the above example, an e-commerce company can change it’s pricing from each individual item to a predefined set.
Drifts whether Concept or Data cannot be avoided. What can be done is you can proactively detect these early and take corrective actions. We will talk about these in detail in a future post.
TAGS : Artificial Intelligence Concept Drift Data Drift Machine Learning ML Monitoring


Japan Gaming Congress Focused on Nation’s Fledgling Casino Industry
Posted on: May 11, 2018, 09:00h.
Last updated on: May 11, 2018, 06:03h.
The Japan Gaming Congress began on Thursday in Tokyo, with delegates and government officials on hand to discuss a variety of issues and topics related to the future of casinos in the Asian country.
Attendees mingle at a networking event during the 2017 Japan Gaming Congress. (Image: Hogo Digital)
There’s no absolutely guarantee that Japan will have casinos in the near future. But lawmakers are working towards passage of the Integrated Resorts (IR) Implementation Bill, which would allow for up to three casino resorts to be built in Japan.
Government Officials Rally Support
The IR bill is somewhat controversial, as there’s been some public sentiment against the idea of allowing locals to gamble in the resorts. The proposed legislation would limit Japanese citizens to a maximum of three visits each week, and would charge a 6,000 Japanese Yen ($55) entry fee to locals that would grant access for up to 24 hours.
In and around the Japan Gaming Congress, government officials sought to build support for the legislation. Yasutoshi Nishimura, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), made a surprise appearance for an address at the conference hall.
Nishimura said that he hoped for the IR Implementation Bill would be passed before the Diet (or Japanese parliament) ends its current session on June 20, so that resorts could be opened in the country as soon as possible.
“After this bill is passed we would like to build the government’s policy,” Nishimura told Inside Asian Gaming. “Based on this policy or regulation any prefecture, candidate city and IR operator can start to apply and then if everything proceeds smoothly I am hoping to have an IR here in Japan in the early 2020s.”
IAG also spoke to Kiyohiko Toyama, a Member of the House of Representatives who is part of the Komeito Party, part of the government coalition with LDP. Toyama said that the bill would “need probably one-and-a-half months” to be passed by both houses, meaning it would be difficult — though perhaps not impossible — to finish before the end of the session.
Toyama also pushed back against media depictions of what a Japanese casino industry might look like.
“I understand there are negative side effects and that is okay to discuss, but I have seen a lack of balance in the way that IRs with casinos have been presented by the Japanese media,” Toyama told IAG.
“So many Japanese people have been misled to believe without any concrete evidence that once any IRs with casinos open in Japan that they will become really bad places in terms of security, safety, and their influence over children,” he added.
Mixing It Up
Representatives of a number of major gaming firms were also on hand to address the conference. Steven Tight, president of international development for Caesars Entertainment, told attendees that they would like to see Japan look at Las Vegas and its mix of gaming and non-gaming revenue sources as a model to follow.
“While there are many approaches to develop integrated resorts, Caesars would like to raise considerations — the Las Vegas model — as the most appropriate benchmark for Japan,” Tight said, according to a report from GGRAsia. “Las Vegas, as a city that reinvents itself through its non-gaming entertainments, has become the world’s undisputed entertainment capital.”
Chris Gordon, president of Wynn Resorts Development, focused on his company’s vision to create an entire entertainment district in a major city, rather than just a single large building, if Wynn Resorts is granted a casino license.
“Our concept with creating an entertainment district in a destination city is that by providing guests with an almost endless array of options both within and outside of the resort, they will not only have good reason to stay longer, but will also want to come back,” Gordon told attendees.
Japan Casino Bill Vote Could Come Wednesday, Integrated Resorts Measure Expected to Pass
Prefectures Consider Hosting Japan Integrated Casino Resorts, Despite Public Opposition
Analyst: Japan Casino Bill Expected in Second Half of 2018, Initial Licensees to Hold Seven-Year Exclusivity
Japan’s Wakayama Prefecture Delays Unveiling of Grand Casino Plan
Devin O'Connor — June 12, 2018
Devin O'Connor — May 7, 2018
Samantha Beckett — April 5, 2018


Hulon L. Willis Sr. M.Ed. ’56 was the first Black graduate of William & Mary and served as a pioneer for those who have followed in his footsteps. To honor his legacy and memory, the Hulon Willis Association was formed in 1992. The Hulon Willis Association, as a part of the William & Mary Alumni Association, is dedicated to continued and sustained engagement of alumni of Black or African descent. It seeks to provide alumni opportunities to build community through connection with fellow alumni, students and alma mater. To this end, the Hulon Willis Association engages alumni through programmatic, leadership and philanthropic efforts.
Looking to connect with fellow alumni on social media? Be sure to like and follow the Hulon Willis Association page on Facebook! You will receive updates about upcoming events and have an opportunity to make connections with alumni near and far.
This Hulon L. Willis, Sr. Memorial Scholarship is named in honor of Hulon L. Willis Sr. M.Ed. ’56, the first African-American student to attend William & Mary. It provides undergraduate scholarship assistance to students with a record of leadership and/or service to the multicultural university and/or local community with a preference for need-based support.
The Hulon Willis Association operates through a strong collaboration between a board of volunteer leaders and the alumni association.
Mason D&I Perspectives Series: Race in America -- The Black Experience
Tuesday, January 26, 12:00 pm EST
Please join us for this next event presented by the Mason Diversity & Inclusion Committee as part of the Perspectives series.
Intersection of Race and Covid-19
Recorded on July 16, 2020
The Intersection of COVID-19 and Race is an honest discussion surrounding health disparities and the ways in which COVID-19 effects marginalized populations. We will be joined by three panelists.
Mo Barbosa is the director of community engagement at Health Resources in Action (HRiA).
Professor Iyabo Obasanjo teaches public health courses at William & Mary. She has a Ph.D. in epidemiology from Cornell University, a master’s from University of California, Davis and a veterinary degree from University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Professor Angela Odoms-Young is an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition and associate director of research and education for the Office of Community Engagement and Neighborhood Health Partnerships at University of Illinois at Chicago.
Invisible Racism
Recorded on October 7, 2020
Join author of Daughters of the Dream: Eight Girls from Richmond who Grew Up in the Civil Rights Era, Tamara Copeland '73 and moderator Viola Baskerville '73 as they discuss issues of race and invisible racism.
Valerie Wilkins , Associate Director Alumni Admission & Inclusion Initiatives
vtwilkins@wm.edu


By Kerry Gallagher, JD and Larry Magid, Ed.D
Full Guide (PDF)
Top 5 Questions (PDF)
Quick-Guide (PDF)
Additional resources for Media Literacy & Fake News
We hear a lot about “fake news,” but that term, which was coined fairly recently, is really a symptom of much larger problems, including the lack of media literacy. In fact, in November 2016 Stanford Graduate School of Education recently found that more than 80% of middle and high school students surveyed were unable to distinguish between advertisements and real news stories. As parents and educators, it’s our job to help our students become more savvy consumers of information. But it’s not just kids who need a lesson in media literacy. Adults do as well. A December 2016 Pew study found that nearly a quarter of adults admitted to sharing fake news in the past. Most didn’t know it was fake when they shared it.
Until fairly recently, media were concentrated in the hands of a few organizations, but now it’s all around us. In addition to the so-called “mainstream media” outlets, there are now many online blogs, podcasts and videos from a wide variety of providers from all walks of life, as well as social media where anyone can be a “citizen journalist.” While this has created a vibrant and dynamic array of information sources, it has also made it more difficult to know which sources can be trusted. So, regardless of whether you’re a media consumer, media creator or both — the need for media literacy is greater now than ever.
And, sad to say, we can’t always trust people in authority to tell “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” There are far too many cases where government officials and corporate leaders have been caught telling falsehoods, whether deliberately or because they were misinformed. There are also popular culture examples such as false claims about celebrity deaths and doctored photos.
In this uncertain climate, how can parents and educators help the children they care for to be critical, but not jaded, consumers of the media they encounter?
History is full of widely accepted falsehoods, some with disastrous outcomes, like the victims of the Salem Witch Hunt. There are plenty of internet-based rumors like the claim that the post office was about to levy a 5 cent email tax, the story that Facebook would soon charge $5.99 a month for a private account, or that people could earn $5,000 from Bill Gates simply by sharing his picture online.
Not everything that’s inaccurate is necessarily a deliberate lie. The once widely held view that the world is flat was based on what people thought they knew at the time. Without intent to deceive, a falsehood should not be considered fake news. Likewise there are examples of people simply not being able to discern entertainment or parody from reality. The Onion is an example of a parody site designed to amuse people with decidedly false information. The information is false but the intention is clearly comedic, though that might not be obvious to all who see it.
The difference between fact and opinion in the news
Both fact and opinion help shape our understandings of information. The facts are the foundation while the opinions help us determine how those facts affect the people and society we are connected with.
Facts: High-quality news should focus on the indisputable information needed to relay events. This includes the people involved, the places where it happened, and any additional important details and evidence.
Opinion: An important part of the news involves an individual’s interpretation of the meaning or impact of an event or facts. Opinion can be a specific point of view or can be meant to convince others, as long as it is clearly labeled as opinion.
Even opinion columnists and commentators should place a high value on facts and, when crafting editorials, make sure their opinions are backed up by factual evidence.
Factual reporting sometimes also includes or is supplemented by analysis, where the writer or speaker, who may be a news reporter, but could also be an academic researcher, a former government official or other expert will put the story in context, or quote experts who explain the meaning or implications of the facts. This is not the same as an opinion piece where the person is expressing a point of view. The purpose is to help the reader or viewer better understand the meaning of the facts. Though analysis may include quotes from people with different points of view, its purpose should be to explain, not to convince. Sometimes journalists will interview “analysts” who do have a point of view or a partisan affiliation, which is OK as long as their affiliations are made clear.
Students also need to understand the difference between speculation and fact. Sometimes all the facts aren’t in, such as immediately after an attack when it’s not known whether or not it’s terrorism. Journalists have an obligation to present the facts and, while they can offer various theories as to the cause, they shouldn’t assume a cause until it’s confirmed.
Finally, it is important to point out that sometimes advertisements are designed to look like news reports, but are not. One way to recognize them is to look closely at whether the report is using the information to encourage the audience to purchase a particular product or support a candidate or cause. Sometimes they are labeled as “sponsored stories,” or advertisements, but sometimes it’s totally up to the reader to figure out that they’re ads, not editorial content.
Practical Tips:
Share these explanations of fact and opinion with your children or students and ask them to apply these explanations to a news story that is important to them.
Teachers can ask students to take a news story or an historical event and write two editorials from opposing perspectives. It could be about a bill before a legislative body, a school issue or the significance of a scientific discovery or a controversial historical event. The idea is to push them to see the same set of facts from at least two different perspectives.
Point out advertisements or sponsored stories masquerading as news in social media streams or on news websites and ask children to evaluate them.
K-6 Fact and Opinion Units ReadWorks.org
Reading Like a Historian Curriculum Stanford History Education Group
Opinion vs. Analysis Canadian Broadcasting Company (Editor’s blog)
ProCon.org
How and Why to Avoid Fake News ConnectSafely
The difference between mistakes and lies
Whether the author is a professional journalist or someone posting on their social media account, knowingly publishing false information online or in print is always wrong, but recognizing intentional lying is not as simple as it might seem. There are different kinds of lies:
Blatant lies: Someone knowingly states a falsehood
Partial lies: Someone uses one fact to make unreasonable assumptions or extrapolations. The foundational fact is true, but the rest of the information is false.
Lies by omission: Someone knows about pertinent facts and chooses to leave them out of a report in order to sway the audience in a certain way.
Editors do make decisions about which stories to cover and facts to emphasize on the limited pages or during the limited air time available to them, but these decisions are based on what they feel is important to their audience. Without these decisions the New York Times would be thousands of pages long and evening news anchors would have to speak faster than an auctioneer. While websites can go into greater detail than print or broadcast, even they have to limit what they cover to keep the reader’s’ attention and avoid drowning readers with too much detail or too many stories.
Mistakes are not the same as lies. If a person reports false information based on an unintentional error, they should be willing to correct it as soon as the error is discovered.
It all comes down to the intent of the author. As parents and educators, we must encourage children to look past the information and consider the reliability and motivations of the source.
Clearly identify the difference between mistakes and lies and be sure children and students understand.
If you come across something that is falsely reported, help young learners investigate more about the source. Then ask them whether that source would have any reason to spread false information.
Be sure to talk with them about the potential harm that could be caused by allowing false information to stand uncorrected.
Character Education Lesson Plans and Best Practices Character.org
Dealing with conflicting reports
Often, as new information is coming to light or even when we review hotly contested historical events, there might be conflicting reports by different sources. For instance, when learning about the Battle at Lexington and Concord, also known as the “Shot Heard Round the World,” students read first-hand accounts from witnesses who report conflicting information. When faced with this, sometimes young learners will look to adults and ask which is accurate. Adults should redirect that thinking toward examining why there might be conflicting reports in the first place. Sometimes what looks like conflicting reports or “facts” is actually two different perspectives or “sides” that need to be examined. Other times there are so-called conflicting facts because only one set of information is actually true while the other is a mistake or a lie. The tips below can help adults work with young people to figure out the difference.
When faced with the reporting of conflicting facts, encourage students to take their time to develop their own understandings. Analyzing and interpreting information is not a race. Ask them:
How many other sources are reporting the same facts? Find corroboration.
Do the corroborating sources seem to be reporting other believable facts?
Do any of the sources or facts seem biased or skewed to favor one side?
If new information comes to light that disproves a previously held opinion, be open to sharing with children that it is OK to change one’s understandings in that circumstance.
In any of these conversations, be sure to stay calm. Children can feel anxious and uncertain when they are confused about information and a calm adult can help them think rationally.
Poynter Fact Checking Network (Links to numerous other checking resources)
EXPERT TIP | National Association for Media Literacy Education executive director Michelle Ciulla Lipkin recommends teachers pick one story and show how it was covered by different and diverse news organizations, whether it be the New York Times, Breitbart News, Fox News, CNN or even Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.” Note how different media outlets expose or emphasize different facts or different perspectives based on who they quote in the story. Discuss how different approaches to the same story can leave the reader, viewer or listener with a different impression or interpretation of what occurred.
Emotional intelligence and media literacy
Sometimes the author or creator of a piece of media intends to appeal to the emotions of the people consuming the media. As you may know from watching, emotion can be a big part of both commercial advertising and political messaging. If you pay attention to ads from carmakers, cosmetic companies or beverage brands, you’ll notice that they are often selling a lifestyle along with their products. The way they use imaging, music and the types of people they feature in their ads impact the way we emotionally react to the ad. The same can be true with political messaging, which seeks to play on people’s emotions – both their hopes and their fears – and sometimes makes vague promises without being specific as to exactly how the candidate will affect that change.
Sometimes feelings of inadequacy or even self-loathing can be triggered by looking at magazine covers and billboards, watching unrealistic lifestyles portrayed on TV and in movies, or wishing that you were as attractive or your life was as great as others appear to be on social media. When people who are already a little insecure compare their own lives to idealized versions, it can exacerbate those insecurities.
As both children and adults, it is OK to feel these emotions as long as we recognize the media that triggered them and do not let them control us. Parents will likely experience media-triggered emotions right in front of their children, while teachers must be careful not to allow media-triggered emotions to bleed into their classroom practice. In either role, it is worthwhile to share with children how you move past those emotions and start thinking rationally.
Teach children to recognize their emotions from a young age. It’s never too late to start either. Adolescents and teens sometimes need help with emotion recognition as well. Then, when media triggers emotions, they will be better equipped to recognize which information caused them to feel that way.
While watching TV or browsing online with your child, point out ads that are appealing to emotion and discuss them openly.
Once the emotion has been managed, engage children to think logically about how they can take action that is positive in response to that information.
Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
EXPERT TIP | Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence associate director Dr. Robin Stern recommends that adults check in with your own feelings first and keep calm when talking to your children – even about a ‘charged’ piece of news. Help children to listen for facts and name their feelings. Encourage them think about how producers create media to provoke feelings in the audience. Share your own thoughts and feelings. Be prepared with activities you can do with children to help them manage emotions in order to engage in conversation. For instance, belly breathing, drawing, coloring and writing are effective regulation strategies and easy to do with your child.
Teaching kids what to do when they see falsehoods shared online
If you see something that looks like it might be incorrect, but you’re not sure, definitely don’t pass it on until you do a little research. One way to start is to highlight or copy part of the text and search to see if others have commented, verified or disputed the story.
Aside from not spreading false information, consider intervening so that others know not to spread it too. Sometimes the person who has shared the story isn’t aware that it’s likely false, so a gentle nudge might be all that’s necessary for them to either take it down or at least think a bit more critically the next time they’re tempted to pass on a questionable story.
For decades we have told students to stand up to bullying and teasing and that being a bystander is not acceptable. We need to apply this same standard to fake news and can teach how to stand up to false information without provoking more conflict. One way is by scripting comments and responses. Here are a few examples:
Hey, friend! A lot of people are concerned about this. It turns out that it is not an accurate story. Here is a link that explains what’s going on. Thought you’d want to know that it has been disputed. You might want to take it down so people don’t get confused.
If your learners are willing to share the truth on their own timeline or feed – and not merely in the comments responding to the posts of others – here are more examples:
I’ve seen many of my friends post links to websites and articles claiming _______. This post explains the truth. Let’s spread the truth together. Please share!
In case you’ve seen posts about ______ and have become concerned, this information will clear things up. Lots of people were confused. You’re not alone!
We can all raise the bar together. Our goal should not be to merely teach students to analyze the media they consume, but also how to create and share media that make the internet a better place. Use these strategies when you consume media and be sure to share these strategies with your students and children, too.
Our democracy depends on people’s ability to make informed decisions in the voting booth, the marketplace, and in all aspects of their personal, academic and professional lives. Often this requires analyzing the information that’s available to them and sometimes other people’s informed opinions. But one thing is for sure: It’s hard to make any type of good decision without the skills to distinguish between what is true and what is false or disputable.
We also live in a pluralistic world where people form different opinions on everything from what smartphone to buy, what’s the healthiest diet, what school to attend and so much more. Reasonable people will form different opinions on any of these subjects but, as Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, “everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”
As parents and educators it’s our job to help young people hone their critical thinking skills so they can analyze information effectively and come to their own conclusions. It’s essential for all aspects of their lives and all decisions they will face ranging from what to buy, what media to create and how, who to form relationships with and, of course, how to vote. We should not tell them what to think, but rather should teach them how to think for themselves, based on accurate information.
Finally, we need to distinguish between healthy skepticism and unhealthy cynicism. It’s good to question media, regardless of how well established it may be, but it’s also essential to learn how to glean truth and insight from the media around us so that, together, we can develop a better understanding of our world and how to make it better.
Media Literacy Defined National Association for Media Literacy Education
What is Media Literacy? Media Literacy Now
Educator Resources and Curriculum Center for Media Literacy
Ten Questions for Fake News Detection The News Literacy Project
How and Why to Avoid Sharing Fake News ConnectSafely
Lesson Plan: How to Teach your Students about Fake News PBS NewsHour
1. What is media literacy and why is it important?
In short, media literacy is the ability to think critically about the information you consume and create. It includes the ability to distinguish fact from opinion, and to understand how media can sometimes be used to persuade people. Media literacy is important because it is the basis for being an informed and critical thinker in a world where technology and media are ubiquitous, helping to immunize people against undue persuasion and false information.
2. What is fake news and why do people create it?
Fake news is any information that is deliberately meant to be wholly or largely false or misleading. Motivations for creating fake news include financial gain – by getting people to click on sites so they’re exposed to advertising – or to persuade others to take an action, purchase a product, or support or oppose a cause or political candidate. Some people perpetuate fake news just for the sake of deceiving people or as a prank. Honest mistakes happen and they are not fake news. But those who publish or say something that they later find out to be untrue have an obligation to correct the record.
3. How do we explain the difference between facts and opinions?
Both fact and opinion help us understand the world around us. Facts are accurate reports of what happened or what exists, while opinions are an interpretation of the meaning or impact, usually from an individual’s perspective. It’s legitimate for an opinion to be influenced by a person’s world view, but even those who express an opinion should back them up with facts rather than inaccurate information.
4. How can you spot fake news?
Consider the source and other stories coming from that source. Do they ring true? Is the URL legitimate? Does the “news story” seem one-sided or biased toward a particular point of view? Also, consider the article’s author. Is there evidence that it’s a real person? Search for the source and author to see what else they’ve published and what others are saying about them. Sometimes you can tell if a story is true by copying a string of its text and pasting it into a search engine. Often (but not always) this will bring up sites that may dispute or confirm the story, but it may also bring up other fake news sites that repeat the story. FactCheck.org has other good tips for spotting fake news.
5. What is the right thing to do when you spot fake news?
While it’s never OK to spread fake news, it is OK to comment on links to fake stories with your own correction, to help set the record straight.