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Why blackface and making fun of a minority is not okay (in case you really needed some explaining)

So what’s wrong with putting on blackface and mocking an ethnic minority’s food, you might ask?

David Leonard
Leonard

David Leonard from WSU’s Department of Critical Culture, Gender, and Race Studies explains, “Blackface is never a neutral form of entertainment, but an incredibly loaded site for the production of damaging stereotypes… the same stereotypes that undergird individual and state violence, American racism, and a century’s worth of injustice.”

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Buro

Trump Outpaces Clinton In Wisconsin TV Ads

Wesleyan Media Project Review Found Clinton Stopped Running TV Ads In Wisconsin Last Month.

A new survey of campaign advertising shows Donald Trump continued to run TV ads in Wisconsin over the past month while Hillary Clinton did not.

Travis Ridout
Ridout

The Wesleyan Media Project, co-directed by WSU political science professor Travis Ridout, reviews broadcast television and national cable ad buys mentioning candidates. In most states, it found pro-Clinton ads significantly outnumbered pro-Trump ads between Sept. 16 and Oct. 13.

But the reverse was true in Wisconsin where either Trump or the conservative super PAC Reform America Fund aired a total of about 2,400 ads while Clinton and her allies aired none.

“I think she’s decided that she’s pretty much got Wisconsin locked up and there’s no need to invest any more resources in the state,” Ridout said. The Trump campaign’s path to victory on a national scale is much narrower than Clinton’s, which could explain why it is still advertising in Wisconsin, he said.

“Maybe they’re seeing something in their polling. Maybe they’re looking at the demographics of the state — a fairly white state — and thinking maybe they can gain some traction there if they invest in some additional advertising.”

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Trump Has Spent a Fraction of What Clinton Has on Ads

Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump are in the final sprint of spending on television advertising, which has been vastly lower than in previous elections.

This election year has been an interesting anomaly. Outside groups have spent far less on the presidential election this year than they did in 2012. Travis Ridout, a professor of government at Washington State University and co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, noted that swing states were blanketed in ads four years ago.

“The groups that were investing the millions upon millions in ads in highly saturated media markets just weren’t happy with the returns they were getting,” he said.

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The New York Times

Clinton graded higher than Trump by region’s political experts

Hillary Clinton came off better than Donald Trump by staying more on message and keeping her cool most of the time, a group of regional political experts contacted immediately after Wednesday night’s debate concluded.

Travis Ridout
Travis Ridout

Travis Ridout, WSU professor of political science and co-director of Wesleyan Media Project tracking U.S. political ads, gave Clinton a grade of ‘B,’ saying, “Most of the time she looked pretty presidential and appealed to the persuadable voters, like suburban women.”

He gave Trump a ‘C-‘, saying, “The first 30 minutes talking about substantive policy went pretty well, and his base would react pretty positively, but he didn’t appeal to persuadable voters.”

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The Spokesman-Review

Four win annual WSU awards for student advising

Doug Juneau, academic advisor for the Department of Sociology, is among four WSU academic advisors who received “Outstanding Achievement in Academic Advising” awards from the local WSU Academic Advising Association (ACADA).

Doug JuneauJuneau, who is also the academic technology coordinator in the CAS dean’s office, was recognized for his outstanding work in “primary advising.”

Together the four award winners advise more than 900 undergraduates each year.

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WSU News