A New Kind of Conversation
Dialogue is a series of provocative discussions about the most challenging issues facing our community and country
Dialogue is a series of provocative discussions about the most challenging issues facing our community and country held in partnership with Ohio State’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs.
Upcoming Events
Stay tuned for information about the next Dialogue event.
Dialogue: Is Medicare for All the Answer?
February 11, 2020
Polls show that health care is among the most important issues for voters in the 2020 election. Spending on medical care has skyrocketed in the past 20 years and is weighing on both workers and employers. What is the answer? Can sweeping legislative proposals like universal Medicare or some other single-payer health plan address rising costs? Would this fundamental restructuring of the health care system be prohibitively expensive?
We discuss the concerns, options and challenges to America’s health care with Dr. Ean Bett, physician and single-payer health care advocate, and Greg Moody, Executive-in-Residence, John Glenn College of Public Affairs. The discussion was moderated by Karen Kasler, Statehouse Bureau Chief for Ohio Public Radio and TV.
No Shot, No School. Should Government Mandate Vaccines?
November 12, 2019
Polls show that health care is among the most important issues for voters in the 2020 election. Spending on medical care has skyrocketed in the past 20 years and is weighing on both workers and employers. What is the answer? Can sweeping legislative proposals like universal Medicare or some other single-payer health plan address rising costs? Would this fundamental restructuring of the health care system be prohibitively expensive?
We discuss the concerns, options and challenges to America’s health care with Dr. Ean Bett, physician and single-payer health care advocate, and Greg Moody, Executive-in-Residence, John Glenn College of Public Affairs. Ann Fisher, host of All Sides with Ann Fisher on 89.7 NPR News moderates the discussion.
Dialogue: Capitalism vs. Socialism
October 8, 2019
Socialism used to be a dirty word in American politics, but many of the candidates running for president are openly suggesting some socialist policies might be a good thing for America.
We discussed the pros and cons of capitalism and socialism with Rea Hederman, executive director of the Economic Research Center for The Buckeye Institute and Bob Fitrakis, professor of Political Science at Columbus State Community College and co-founder of the Democratic Socialists of America. The event was moderated by Mike Thompson, chief content director of News and Public Affairs for WOSU Public Media.
Disinformation in the Digital Age
September 10, 2019
Disinformation – the purposeful spread of false or misleading information — is an ancient phenomenon but has exploded in recent years thanks to modern technologies including social media. Reality increasingly is being distorted by fake videos, fake people and cries of “fake news.” And it’s getting easier to generate fakes and to spread them instantly and virally.
What are the consequences of the rising tide of disinformation? Can anything be done to fight fakes without endangering our fundamental values including freedom of speech? What will happen if we fail to rein in disinformation?
We will discuss this timely issue with Jeffrey Trimble, a lecturer in the School of Communication and Department of Political Science at Ohio State. Before coming to Ohio State in 2018, Trimble, an international journalist and media manager for more than 35 years, helped to create programs by U.S. government-funded international broadcasting to counter global disinformation from Russia and other countries and non-state actors.
The discussion will be moderated by Nicole Kraft, an award-winning reporter, editor and magazine journalist who is an assistant professor (clinical) of public affairs journalism in Ohio State’s School of Communication. Her areas of expertise include news, sports and feature writing, social media, sports communication, media law and ethics, and academic use of mobile technology.
Dialogue: Basic Income for All – And Other Ways to Close the Income Gap
April 30, 2019
Lightly regulated capitalism leads to boom-bust cycles that threaten the livelihood of the middle class and poor in times of crisis.
Could raising income taxes for the wealthy fund new programs and help reduce income inequality? Could universal basic income combat poverty? Is guaranteed income – a guarantee that all citizens or families have an income sufficient to live on, provided they meet certain conditions – a solution?
We will with Lynn Parramore, senior research analyst at the Institute for New Economic Thinking, and Dr. Darrick Hamilton, executive director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity discuss these and other policy ideas. Moderated by Dr. Trevor Brown, dean of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs.
Dialogue: Sports and Society
March 21, 2019
Dr. Pete Edwards, co-owner of the Columbus Crew SC, and Gene Smith, director of athletics at The Ohio State University join Ann Fisher, host of All Sides with Ann Fisher on 89.7 NPR News for a discussion of the prominent role sports play in American society.
From billions spent on college athletics and taxpayers footing the bill for arenas and stadiums, to the sports concussion crisis and the ever-expanding issue of sports gambling, we will examine why sports are so important to our culture.
The Future of America in Space
February 12, 2019
Fifty-seven years after John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth, the United States finds itself in a world in which many nations, as well as private companies, have established independent space capabilities.
From plans for a U.S. Space Force to human flight to Mars, we discussed the critical issues facing U.S. space policy with former NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Jr. and John M. Horack, the Neil Armstrong Chair in Aerospace Policy at The Ohio State University.
Re-evaluation of American Society
January 16, 2019
Since the 1970s, workers without college degrees have seen their full-time employment fall, real wages decline and family income stagnate.
The 2016 presidential election served notice that the working class, especially working-class men, felt overlooked, alienated, angry and were desperate for new leadership.
J.D. Vance, author of Hillbilly Elegy, and Oren Cass, author of The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America, discuss American society, economics and public policy.
Dialogue: 2018 Midterm Election Analysis
November 13, 2018
Mike Thompson, WOSU Public Media’s Chief Content Director for News and Public Affairs and host of WOSU TV’s Columbus on the Record, was joined by Paul Beck, OSU Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Whitney Smith, political consultant & founder, W.T. Smith Consulting, to discuss the results of the 2018 Midterm Elections and what it means for 2019 and beyond.
The Future of Work
October 2, 2018
Marketplace Morning Report host senior editor David Brancaccio led a discussion on the increased use of automation, artificial intelligence and global competition is changing the way people work.
Guest Panelists for this discussion included Lisa Patt-McDaniel, president and CEO of Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio and Scot McLemore, Talent Acquisition and Deployment | HR and Admin Division of Honda North America, Inc.
Will the Forever War Ever End?
September 11, 2018
Ann Fisher, host of All Sides with Ann Fisher on 89.7 NPR News, and Dr. Peter Mansoor, Ohio State Univeristy Chair of Military History and military analyst for CNN, discussed if the “Forever War” will ever end with U.S. military engagement in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and extended conflicts in the Middle East. And what this continuing commitment of troops overseas means for national security at home and abroad.
A Look at Women in Ohio Politics
May 24, 2018, 6 p.m.
NPR political correspondent Asma Khalid explored the challenges and opportunities for female candidates with state senator Charleta Tavares (D- Columbus, Columbus Recreation and Parks’ Sophia Fifner and Wendy Smooth, associate professor of Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences.
The New Age of Entrepreneurship
March 6, 2018
Sam Sanders, host of NPR’s It’s Been a Minute, moderated a discussion about the New Age of Entrepreneurship with Tanisha Robinson, CEO, BrewDog USA and Merry Korn, President/CEO, Pearl Interactive Network.