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Innovating
May 06The #GlobalPOV Project: Who Profits From Poverty?
Written by Tara GrahamThe third video in The #GlobalPOV Project series is an exploration of the poverty business. The poor pay more for everything, and such transactions are highly profitable for those selling goods and services to the poor. Profits are made on the labor of the poor, the consumption of the poor, and the debt of the poor; meanwhile the poor remain — poor. So who profits from poverty? Based on Prof....
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Innovating
May 03#GlobalPOV on Mediabistro’s “AllTwitter”
Written by Tara GrahamAllTwitter, a Mediabistro website devoted to breaking Twitter news, highlighted The #GlobalPOV Project as part of its “Pay It Forward Friday” coverage. Regarding the #GlobalPOV video series, AllTwitter writes: And the online videos they’re creating are intended to help “crystallize the nuanced teachings of Berkeley’s biggest minor, Global Poverty and Practice, offered by the Blum Center for Developing Economies.” The videos are posted online so those outside of the school can...
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Reporting
Apr 26ABC’s 20/20 Features Viral Video Footage of Jonas Brothers Stampede
Written by Tara GrahamABC’s primetime news magazine program, “20/20,” aired an investigative report on social behavior and crowd chaos that featured the viral stampede footage I shot at a Jonas Brothers concert in May, 2010. (ABC Air Date: Apr. 26, 2013, Episode: “In An Instant”). NOTE: This post is an update to a previous post tracking the viral popularity of (and subsequent mainstream media interest in) the stampede footage when I posted it to...
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Innovating
Apr 16Borgen Project Highlights #GlobalPOV Project
Written by Tara GrahamThe Borgen Project, a nonprofit organization with mission to fight extreme poverty through policy (not charity!) intervention, recently published an article highlighting The #GlobalPOV Project’s mixed-media approach to curriculum development and pedagogy. Check out the article here. To learn more about The Borgen Project, visit the website or read its mission statement below: The Borgen Project believes that leaders of the most powerful nation on earth should be doing more to...
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Innovating
Apr 09#GlobalPOV Is “Groundbreaking,” Reports UC Berkeley NewsCenter
Written by Tara GrahamThe UC Berkeley NewsCenter recently sat down and interviewed the #GlobalPOV team to discuss the theory behind the project, the production process, and the fact that Prof. Roy would have had an easier time writing and publishing a book already. (But then that would be boring, no?) The article describes the project as “a groundbreaking alternative to dominant forms of online education, a hot topic that’s on the minds...
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Innovating
Mar 13Behind The Scenes: “Can We Shop To End Poverty?”
Written by Tara GrahamProf. Roy micro-lectured into a micro-phone. Tara painstakingly cut some denim pockets with an X-ACTO knife. And Abby tried to brew tea in cold water. This vid resulted. The following is a behind-the-scenes look into the making of #GlobalPOV’s “Can We Shop To End Poverty?” video. The #GlobalPOV Project is a program of the Global Poverty and Practice (GPP) Minor. Based at the Blum Center for Developing Economies, University of California, Berkeley, the GPP Minor...
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Innovating
Mar 12The #GlobalPOV Project: Can We Shop To End Poverty?
Written by Tara GrahamThe second video in The #GlobalPOV Project series is an exploration of ethical consumerism and fair trade interventions. However tempting it may be to believe that we save lives, empower women and do good with our purchases, the impacts of our consumption on poverty cannot be reduced to mere product labels. Consumers need to understand the life histories of global commodities and advocate for changes in how these items...
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Innovating
Dec 04Blum Center News: #GlobalPOV Encourages Students To Become Public Scholars
Written by Tara GrahamThe #GlobalPOV Project’s in-class tweeting component was covered in the Fall 2012 edition of the Blum Center newsletter. In the article, writer Javier Kordi notes: Being a public medium, Twitter allows anyone to join the conversation, but also forces Berkeley students to think of themselves as public scholars— everything they post falls under the scrutiny of the global community. . . . Tara Graham, the architect of this project,...
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Innovating
Nov 29Blast off! Launching The #GlobalPOV Project
Written by Tara GrahamProf. Roy yacked on and on about Bono. Abby did some doodling. Tara shoved a camera in everyone’s face. This vid resulted. The following is a behind-the-scenes look into the making of The #GlobalPOV Project’s “Who Sees Poverty?” pilot video. The #GlobalPOV Project is a program of the Global Poverty and Practice (GPP) Minor. Based at the Blum Center for Developing Economies at the University of California, Berkeley, the...
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Innovating
Nov 27The #GlobalPOV Project: Who Sees Poverty?
Written by Tara GrahamPoverty exists. That it exists, that it persists, in the 21st century is an obscenity. We want to end this poverty. We want to make poverty history. But we have to ask ourselves: Who is the “we” who sees poverty? When we see poverty, what is that we see? And finally, how do we act upon these ways of seeing? Based on Prof. Ananya Roy’s popular Global Poverty class...
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Innovating
Oct 16Daily Cal Talks Twitter In The Classroom
Written by Tara GrahamThe Daily Californian, the student-run UC Berkeley paper of record, visited Prof. Ananya Roy’s “Global Poverty: Challenges and Hopes In The New Millennium” class this week to explore our use of Twitter in a large lecture hall setting. “By projecting tweets pertaining to the class on a screen, professors are able to use teaching methods that allow large groups of students to interact with one another and the professor...
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Reporting
Feb 18OPINION: Military, Money & Motives In Egypt
Written by Tara GrahamThe following was originally published on Feb. 18, 2011, via the Harvard University Press Blog. It was co-written with Nezar AlSayyad, Professor of Architecture and Urban History, and Chair of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. “Egypt has passed through a critical period in her recent history characterized by bribery, mischief, and the absence of governmental stability . . . Accordingly, we have undertaken to clean...
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Reporting
May 1515 Mins Of Fame: Jonas Brothers Concert Stampede Footage Goes Viral
Written by Tara GrahamThe Jonas Brothers launched their 2010 world tour by giving a free concert at The Grove in Los Angeles, Calif., on May 15, 2010. Over 25,000 adoring fans showed up and made a mad rush for the stage, trampling over each other and security barriers in the process. Chaos ensued, but no injuries were reported. I was there to capture the madness on my smartphone (see above). Nick and...
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The Conflict Medium: Reporting/Constructing Conflict Around The World
The Conflict Medium is a website produced by U.C. Berkeley undergraduate student Rashad Sisemore in my online research and...
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Poverty Pitch: Exploring The Intersection Of American Business & Poverty Action
Poverty Pitch is a website produced by U.C. Berkeley undergraduate student Dominique Martinez in my online research and web...
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Yesterday’s Shadow: The Influence & Legacy Of Colonialism In China
Yesterday’s Shadow is a website produced by U.C. Berkeley undergraduate student Joseph Mann in my online research and web...
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Musical Bark: Endangerment Of The Pernambuco Tree
Musical Bark is a website produced by U.C. Berkeley undergraduate student Erica Smolin in my online research and web...
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Righteous Eats: Regulating International Food Delicacies
Righteous Eats is a website produced by U.C. Berkeley undergraduate student Rachel Soeharto in my online research and web...
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Bursting The [Filter] Bubble: Tracking Algorithmic Filtration On The Internet
Bursting the Bubble is a website produced by U.C. Berkeley undergraduate student Nupur Behera during the 2012 spring...
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Honk For Beirut: An Orchestrated Chaos
Honk for Beirut is a website produced by U.C. Berkeley undergraduate student Angela Haddad during the 2012 spring semester....
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Fist Pump The World: Tracking The Global Spread of Electronic Dance Music
Fist Pump The World is a website produced by U.C. Berkeley undergraduate student Kyle Meshna in my international reporting...
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[ZEROWASTEland] Urban Poverty & Sustainability In The Philippines
ZEROWASTEland is a website produced by U.C. Berkeley undergraduate student Jiselle Liu in my international reporting course during the...
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Media, Politics & Society: The Arab World In The Global Context
Media, Politics & Society: The Arab World In The Global Context is a website I produced to house all...
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TARA GRAHAM
New Media + Education
EDUCATION
Jun 2010 | UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, Los Angeles
- Master of Arts in Journalism, with emphasis in online production
May 2005 | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Berkeley
- Bachelor of Rhetoric, with emphasis in public discourse
- Public Policy Minor
EXPERIENCE
May 2012 — Present | DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA PROJECTS
Blum Center for Developing Economies, UC Berkeley
- Conceptualize, develop and manage The #GlobalPOV Project, an innovative approach to hybrid pedagogy whereby in-class and online learning methods are blended into a mixed-mode participatory curriculum
- Produce a series of educational videos that combine critical social theory, live-action sketch, improv art and social media to explore innovative ways of thinking about poverty, inequality and undertaking poverty action
- Implement and oversee in-class social media experimentation
- Update and maintain The #GlobalPOV Blog
Sept. 2010 — Present | PUBLICATIONS DIRECTOR
Center for Middle Eastern Studies, UC Berkeley
- Report on Middle East-related happenings, interview relevant parties and photograph/film events for the Center’s publication materials
- Oversee the production, organization and re-design of the Center’s website
- Produce, edit and digitally prepare content for the website
Jul. 2010 — Present | LECTURER OF ONLINE MEDIA
International and Area Studies Academic Program, UC Berkeley
- Develop the curriculum for undergraduate courses exploring the demands and techniques of international reporting in the digital age, online research, web production and new media theory
- Deliver weekly lectures and conduct multimedia workshops to help students package their research and field work findings (interviews/photography/videos) into multimedia websites
- See courses taught
Jan. 2010 – Jul. 2010 | WEB REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER
KCET’s “SoCal Connected” / Los Angeles, CA
- Investigated and reported on the Calif. economic crisis, and its impact on Orange County’s housing, education, transportation and government sectors
- Digitally prepared multimedia content for the website (cropped/uploaded photos, produced audio slideshows, crafted feature summaries)
Mar. 2009 – May 2010 | CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, SUPERVISING EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
USC Annenberg Digital News / Los Angeles, CA
- Managed a 50-person editorial staff, organized website posting schedules and led online training sessions
- Selected top content for the day, crafted headlines and promoted stories to the front page
- Digitally prepared, edited and published multimedia news content to the website
Jun. 2009 – Aug. 2009 | WEB EDITOR
New Statesman / London, England
- Researched and reported U.S. news stories for the website and contributed book reviews to the print publication
- Digitally prepared magazine content for the website, managed the front page and moderated comments
Aug. 2008 – Feb. 2009 | STAFF WRITER
Pop and Politics / Los Angeles, CA
- Reported on breaking political and popular culture news, interviewed relevant experts and digitally prepared multimedia content for the website
- Wrote regular commentary and investigative features
Nov. 2006 – Jul. 2008 | ASSOCIATE EDITOR
POPSUGAR Inc. / San Francisco, CA
- Launched a popular culture website in 2006 that grew to average over one million page views per month (as of Jul. 2008)
- Researched and posted content on an hourly basis, adding editorial commentary to engage, inform and entertain readers
- Marketed website through social media activity and by negotiating traffic exchanges with other sites
PROFESSIONAL TRAVEL
May 2012 — TURKEY
Covered an international conference on the Arab uprisings in Istanbul, Turkey, hosted by Istanbul Ayden University and organized by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley. Speakers included experts from Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Syria and Turkey.
December 2010 — SYRIA | LEBANON
Accompanied a UC Berkeley delegation to Damascus and interviewed President Bashar al-Assad on matters involving political and economic reform in Syria, along with the Israeli peace process. Also traveled to Beirut, Lebanon, to promote and cover the International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments 2010 conference.
October 2010 — GERMANY
Traveled to Berlin and Munich as one of 10 American journalists selected to attend a one-week press tour organized by the Goethe Institut and the German Foreign Office in Washington, DC. The program provided historical background to inform contemporary reporting on German affairs. Participants also met with political decision makers, scientists involved in the country’s renewable energy projects, and artists behind Berlin’s vibrant art scene.
March 2010 — ISRAEL | PALESTINE
Traveled to Israel and Palestine as one of 10 Annenberg graduate students selected to report in the region. Participants met with religious, political and human rights activists, as well as educators, legislators, refugees, settlers, and media commentators to explore the ways in which the ongoing conflict affects on-the-ground attitudes, beliefs and behaviors.
October 2009 — BELGIUM
Traveled to Brussels, Belgium, as one of 14 U.S. graduate students selected to attend a one-week press tour organized by the European Union. The program provided an overview of the EU’s history, policies and struggles, with special focus on EU—US relations.
May-August 2009 — ENGLAND | NORTHERN IRELAND
Traveled around the United Kingdom for a USC foreign reporting class. Worked as a web editor for New Statesman magazine during this time.
July 2008 — EGYPT
Traveled to Cairo, Egypt, to conduct preliminary research for Cairo: Histories of a City, a Harvard University Press book authored by Prof. Nezar AlSayyad of the University of California, Berkeley. Upon completion, I also worked as an editor on this book.
VOLUNTEER WORK
Nov. 2012 — Present | BOARD OF ADVISORS
Equalize Youth: An online support network for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth and their families
- Participate in periodic board meetings to help inform business strategy, website design, storytelling and audience cultivation, etc.
- Mentor Derek Gerson, a former student who is now the founder and executive director of the organization
AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS
Aug. 2012 — May 2012 | LECTURER TEACHING FELLOW
University of California, Berkeley
June 2011 | “BEST OF THE WEB” FIRST PLACE INDIVIDUAL JOURNALISM AWARD
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
May 2010 | PENNY LERNOUX AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL REPORTING
University of Southern California
May 2010 | PHI KAPPA PHI HONOR SOCIETY
University of Southern California
*Membership awarded to the top 10 percent of USC’s graduate students
Jan. 2010 – Jul. 2010 | CARNEGIE-KNIGHT NEWS21 FELLOW
University of Southern California
Aug. 2009 – May 2010 | DEAN’S MERIT SCHOLAR
University of Southern California
Aug. 2008 – May 2009 | ANNENBERG GRADUATE FELLOW
University of Southern California
Aug. 2001 – May 2005 | THE LEADERSHIP AWARD
University of California, Berkeley
So Tweet Me Maybe?
Tara Graham is the Director of Digital Media Projects at the Blum Center for Developing Economies and the Publications Director at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies on the UC Berkeley campus, where she also teaches online research and web production classes to undergraduate students in the International and Area Studies Academic Program. She was formerly a Carnegie-Knight News21 Fellow and Annenberg Graduate Fellow at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
Graham has worked as a web reporter and photographer for KCET’s SoCal Connected, as an online editor for the London-based New Statesman magazine, as the co-editor-in-chief of USC Annenberg’s award-winning digital news website, and as an associate editor at POPSUGAR Inc., a popular culture blog network. Her freelance work has been featured in NBC, CBS and ABC news broadcasts and in online publications, including The Huffington Post. Graham is also an experienced editor who has worked for various authors with recognized commercial and university presses, and she serves on the Board of Advisors for Equalize Youth, an online support network for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth and their families.
You can find Graham tap dancing in the dark corners of her imagination to a sold-out audience of — none. Like most everything else, it’s all for fun.
Graham is the recipient of USC Annenberg’s 2010 Penny Lernoux Award for International Reporting and the 2011 First Place “Best of the Web” Individual Journalism Award by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. She is a 2012-2013 UC Berkeley Lecturer Teaching Fellow.
Connect with Tara Graham on LinkedIn or wander with her on Tumblr.
