Washington Kenkyu Group: Discussion with Prof. Martha Bayles

On October 6, Washington Kenkyu Group welcomed Professor Martha Bayles, Associate Professor of Humanities at Boston College and author of Through a Screen Darkly: Popular Culture, Public Diplomacy, and America’s Image Abroad. Prof Bayles gave remarks on the role American media institutions play in shaping political discourse in the United States, as well as how shifting commercial incentives and the introduction of social media platforms have changed the way news is disseminated and digested. Her remarks were followed by a Q&A session which included an engaging discussion of the different structures and incentives of U.S. and Japanese media institutions. The discussion was attended by Japanese representatives from media, the private sector, think tanks, and government.