Walter Brasch

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Walter M. Brasch Ph.D., is an American social issues journalist and university professor of journalism. He is the author of a bi-weekly syndicated newspaper column and the author of 17 books. He is an award winning former newspaper editor in California, Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio. [1]

Contents

[edit] Published Works

His books mostly focus upon the fusion of historical and contemporary social issues. These books include:


He is co-author of Social Foundations of the Mass Media (2001) and The Press and the State (1986), and was awarded Outstanding Academic Book distinction by Choice magazine, published by the American Library Association. [1]

[edit] Other Media

He is author of several dozens of magazine articles, and 50 multimedia productions. His article and columns are read readily in Counterpunch, Counter Bias, Smirking Chimp, Op Ed News, Liberal Opinion Weekly, American Reporter, Atlantic Free Press, Baltimore Chronicle, Bush Watch, Dissident Voice, Online Opinion, Radical Philosophy, Scoop, The Dubya Report, Trumpet America, and dozens of other major internet websites, as well as about 40 print newspapers. (personal interview with author)

[edit] Philosophy of His Writing

Dr. Brasch told Contemporary Authors: "I'm a journalist, a writer who looks at society and tries to understand, then analyze and explain its many complex parts as they relate to each other to help people better understand their own lives and what's both necessary and important to their lives. My writings--both academic and journalistic--can't be pigeonholed; the writings are about people; the process is journalism. I write about what I'm interested in, going from topic to topic, and issue to issue, as my needs and interests change. "My syndicated newspaper column is often humor/satire, but with the cutting edge of truth. I am a social activist, and my writing reflects that. It is unfortunate there aren't more of us, or that the publishing industry prefers other kinds of writing. It is also unfortunate that the media of journalism have succumbed to a corporate mentality that has placed the quest for high profits, higher than in almost every other industry, combined with layoffs and the desire to break down unions, above methodical and systematic discussions of the greater social issues in our country. "The writing I do isn't usually what the 'Corporate Suits' ask for; I do not allow myself to be subjected to the whims of a large chunk of the industry who can pass judgment on what should be published solely on marketability but have never written anything other than business letters or reports. Thus I tend to be people-and issue-driven rather than market-driven. Equally importantly, I do not write the kind of 'academic' works that pass as scholarship yet are usually minuscule looks at unimportant things that only impress other 'scholars' who tend to judge people by how many pieces of data they can stuff into a set of statistical analyses. My writings, I hope, tend to be more universal, focusing upon the greater social issues."

[edit] Involvement

He is active in emergency management, and was a governor-appointee on the Local Emergency Planning Committee. (www.walterbrasch.com) He was involved in the farm workers strike of the early and mid 1960s, in anti war protests during the Vietnam and both Gulf wars, is an ardent animal rights activist, and active in numerous social justice issues. (personal interview with author) Among other organizations he is active in the Leonard Peltier Defense Fund and the preservation of wild horses and burros. He is editor in chief of Spectrum Magazine, a publication produced by journalism students at Bloomsburg University and which has won several major national awards. (personal interview with author) He is currently president of the Pennsylvania Press Club, and was previously president of the Keystone State professional chapter and deputy regional director of the Society of Professional Journalists, from which he received the Director's Award and the National Freedom of Information Award. He is the founding coordinator of Pennsylvania Journalism Educators. He is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Author's Guild, National Writers Union (UAW/AFL-CIO), and The Newspaper Guild (CWA/AFL-CIO). He is listed in: Who's Who in America, Contemporary Authors, and Who's Who in the Media. [1]

[edit] Degrees

Dr. Brasch earned an A.B. in sociology from San Diego State College, an M.A. in journalism from Ball State University, and a Ph.D. in mass communication and journalism, with a cognate area in language and culture studies, from Ohio University. [1]

[edit] Awards

During the past two decades he has won more than 100 national and media awards from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Society of Professional Journalists, National Federation of Press Women, Pennsylvania Press Club, Pennsylvania Women's Press Association, Pennwriters, International Association of Business Communicators, Pacific Coast Press Club, and Press Club of Southern California. (www.walterbrasch.com) He is not only a co-recipient of the Civil Liberties Award of the American Civil Liberties Union in 1996, but was also honored by San Diego State University as a Points of Excellence winner in 1997. At Bloomsburg University, he earned the Creative Arts Award, the Creative Teaching Award, and was named an Outstanding Student Advisor. He was the first recipient of the Dean's Award of Excellence at Bloomsburg University. For the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, he was a Commonwealth Speaker. In 2004 he was the faculty recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award[1].

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e [1] Walter Brasch's Home Page
  • Contemporary Authors
  • personal interview with author

[edit] External links