This next semester at the high school where I teach, students will be offered a course in Contemporary Affairs. Contemporary Affairs is a one semester elective class which provides students an opportunity to study selected news of the day as it is reflected in domestic and international concerns of the United States and to trace the 21st Century roots of the problems.

This course examines the sociological, economic and political effects of mass communications systems and social media on American culture. We will examine communication theories and models, historical and contemporary research, the mass media industries, laws and regulations, and the effects of media on society.

Much of the crucial development of the mass communications industry and its powerful impact in the 20th Century can be traced back to three pivotal men, the three Walters: Walter Lippmann, Walter Winchell, and Walter Cronkite. Each came to dominate their respective fields in mainstream journalism, and each had solid ties to the intelligence apparat of their times. Both Lippmann and Cronkite served as military intelligence officers in wartime, while columnist and broadcaster Winchell had many of his contributions secretly penned by intelligence operatives.

Teaching this course will be a challenge and a delight.

The Best of Charles Burris