GBO NEWS: Ivanka’s Child Care Paid via Social Security?; Reporting Fellowship Deadlines; AHCJ & Aging America Conferences; The Bookmobile; & MORE
GENERATIONS BEAT ONLINE NEWS
E-News of the Journalists Network on Generations — Our 25th Year.
February 2, 2018 — Volume 18, Number 2
EDITOR’S NOTE: GBONews, e-news of the Journalists Network on Generations (JNG), publishes alerts for journalists, producers and authors covering generational issues. Send your news of important stories or books (by you and others), fellowships, awards or pertinent kvetches to GBO News Editor Paul Kleyman. To subscribe to GBONews.org at no charge, simply sending a request to Paul with your name, address, phone number and editorial affiliation or note that you freelance. For each issue, you’ll receive the table of contents in an e-mail, so just click through to the full issue at www.gbonews.org. GBONews does not provide its list to other entities.
In This Issue: President Groundhog Memos His Shadow (6 More Weeks of Mueller).
1. THE STATE OF THE FAMILY UNION: *** The Hill op-ed by Nancy J. Altman, “Immigrants play a vital role in securing our Social Security system’s future” (Jan. 30); *** Los Angeles Times’ Michael Hiltzik on proposal to cover paid family leave in the U.S.—with Social Security retirement benefits. (How much was the tax cut, again?)
2. EYES ON THE PRIZE: *** Columbia University’s 2018 Age Boom Fellowship Deadline, March 2; *** Rosalyn Carter Journalist Fellowship in Mental Health accepting applications Feb. 5-April 11; *** MacDowellColony’s Art of Journalism Fellowship deadline for fall residencies, April 15.
3. THE CONFERENCE BEAT: AHCJ’s Health Journalism 2018 in Phoenix Sets Feb. 16 to Apply for Travel Fellowships; Aging in America Conference in San Francisco, March 26-29—How to Apply for Media Passes
4. THE BOOKMOBILE: *** Ashton Applewhite Lands Book Deal; *** New York Times’ John Leland Interviewed on NPR’s “Fresh Air”; Aging Famously: Follow Those You Admire to Living Long and Well, by Elizabeth Meade Howard.
1. THE STATE OF THE FAMILY UNION
*** Meanwhile, Back at Trump Tower, Ivanka’s Other Family Values Shoe Has Dropped—but not on the Chinese. That stiletto heal would skewer Social Security and the future retirees who will need it. When Ivanka Trump spoke up at the 2016 GOP National Convention for child care support programs to ease the way for new parents, the eventual $2000 child care tax credit enacted in the Republican tax plan was widely criticized, for mainly benefiting more affluent families. And her advocacy for paid family leave left many wondering how House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republican budget hawks might consider paying for it. Any guesses? Read on.
This week, Los Angeles Times economics columnist Michael Hiltzik posted, “Paid Family Leave Is a Great Idea, But Not If We Hit up Social Security for the Money.” Noting that the United States is only one of three industrialized countries not to offer FPL (along with Papua New Guinea and Oman), the Pulitzer Prize-winner dissected a Wall Street Journal op-ed this week by two respected policy conservatives, who call for this country to implement FPL–and pay the cost later by deducting the amount used for child care today from people’s Social Security retirement benefits tomorrow.
In fact, according to Sam Stein in today’s The Daily Beast (Feb. 2), Congress, the idea of a 12-week PFL financed by allowing individuals to collect their Social Security benefits early “is championed by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) who worked with Ivanka to structure a child tax credit as part of the Republican Party’s successful push for tax cuts last year.”
The WSJ op-ed comes from two economists, who have colored-in the policy details of dipping into Social Security for the otherwise worthwhile goal of supporting young families. One of the writers is attorney Kristin Shapiro, who also published a white paper on the proposal with the libertarian Independent Women’s Forum. The other is Andrew Biggs a fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute and a former deputy commissioner of Social Security.
Their plan addresses how to make paid family leave “budget neutral” and fiscally neutral for Social Security, a program that cannot legally add to the federal deficit. The LA Times’ Hiltzik observes, “The proposal leaves unexplained why a federal paid family leave program has to be offset by any budgetary givebacks, via Social Security or otherwise. Is it really plausible that the United States, almost unique in the world, can’t afford to fund a benefit that is so plainly beneficial to the community at large?’
For example, he quotes Shapiro’s white paper, “Parental leave is associated with lower infant mortality, [along with] “increased well-baby care, childhood vaccination rates, likelihood and duration of breastfeeding, and high school graduation rates and life earnings for the child.” She adds that men taking advantage of paid family leave generally become more involved in child care, producing “a more equitable division of household labor.”
Hiltzik asks “why the U.S. can’t provide workers with paid family leave out of its existing resources? Shapiro estimates that the program would provide about $7 billion a year in benefits if 2 million parents . . . claimed them; she calls that sum ‘a drop in the bucket.’”
He adds, “She’s right. It’s not as though the U.S. doesn’t have access to the money, since the government plainly has enough to gift corporations and the wealthy with some $1.5 trillion in tax cuts over the next 10 years.” Apple alone, Hiltzik points out, is due for an almost $50 billion tax benefit if it repatriates its foreign cash under the tax cut bill signed by President Trump in December. “That’s enough to fund about seven years of national paid parental leave, based on Shapiro’s estimate, Hiltzik says.”
The downside, writes Hiltzik, is that Shapiro and Biggs’ plan “would translate into an increase in the Social Security retirement age, which is inherently unfair to lower-income and African American workers. It will burden women more than men because they’re likelier to take parental leave and likelier to spend longer periods caring for their newborns at home. And it will place a new administrative load on the Social Security Administration, which is already struggling to work through budget cuts to deal with the responsibilities it has now.”
Furthermore, writes Hiltzik, their approach would use Social Security as a “piggy bank” to pay for family leave — and maybe other social welfare programs, too.
*** Some of the Union’s States, though already cover PFL both for newborn nurturing and other caregiving needs. California—the first state to enact such a program—actually strengthened its support as of Jan. 1. That may offer a good contrast to reporters examining family caregiving stress in other parts of the country.
The California FPL and Disability Insurance program, which is paid for by workers’ payroll deductions, will now replace 60%-70% of a worker’s wages (up from 55%) for up to six weeks in a 12-month period . The can use the time off from work to care for a newborn or seriously ill child, a parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse or registered domestic partner.
For more information, reporters can check the website, or contact Lori Levy or Patti Roberts at California’s Employment Development Department (916-654-9029). A good person to ask to interview about the program is Kacie Finnicum, a program analyst, who is overseeing public-awareness outreach.
*** The Hill op-ed on Immigration’s Impact on Social Security: The piece by Nancy J. Altman, president of the progressive advocacy group, Social Security Works, is headlined, “Immigrants Play a Vital Role in Securing Our Social Security System’s Future” (Jan. 30). Citing an October 2017 analysis by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Altman states, “If Trump’s decision to cancel DACA is not reversed, it will cost Social Security an estimated $31.8 billion over the next decade. Moreover, if Trump and hardliners in Congress are successful in slashing immigration in half, Social Security will lose $2.4 trillion over the next 75 years.”
2. EYES ON THE PRIZE
*** Columbia University’s 2018 Age Boom Deadline Fri., March 2: The Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center and the Columbia School of Journalism are accepting applications for their annual Age Boom Academy fellowships. The program will bring about 20 journalists to New York City for most of a week late this Spring–all expenses paid.
Fellows will gather at Columbia University (in the Joseph Pulitzer building and other campus facilities), May 31-June 2, for the two-and-a-half day workshop on this year’s main theme, “The Future of Work: New Technology and an Aging Workforce.” Reporters will also learn about “the latest research concerning the changing demographics of the U.S. workforce, the impact of new technology on the future of work, and the policies and strategies needed to equip the workforce with the skills they will need,” says the program’s website. Fellows will hear from and interview scientists and experts, as well as participate in story clinics led by researchers and senior journalists.
Among the questions the Age Boom Fellows will explore are: Whose jobs will be most affected by artificial intelligence? How do we use education and training to keep people relevant? How can new technology be integrated into jobs to help people work longer?
Journalists should submit applications by Friday, March 2, 2018. Click here to apply. Travel and hotel are provided for out-of-town Fellows. Age Boom Academy is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Please contact Caitie Adams at ca2700@columbia.edu with questions.
*** The Rosalyn Carter Journalist Fellowship in Mental Health program is accepting applications starting on Feb. 5 and closing on April 11: “Every year, eight U.S. fellows are awarded stipends of $10,000 each. (International fellows are awarded a comparable stipend.) Stipends cover expenses during the fellowship project, including travel, materials and incidental expenses. If reporters apply as a team, the total stipend will be divided evenly among the team members,” says the website.
Fellows make two expense-paid visits to The Carter Center in Atlanta, Ga., first in September and then one year later, at the end of the fellowship year when fellows present their completed projects. Each visit lasts three days. Projects do not require fellows to leave their jobs. It also notes that fellows get to meet and interact with former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and members of the Carter Center Mental Health Task Force.
*** Apply for the MacDowell Colony’s Art of Journalism Fellowship by April 15 for the Fall residencies (Oct. 1-Jan. 31). The MacDowell Colony is one of the nation’s leading artist colonies. Each year about 300 fellowships, or residencies, are awarded to artists in seven disciplines: architecture, film/video arts, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theatre, and visual arts. (The Art of Journalism fellowships are offered as part of the literature program.)
A fellowship consists of exclusive use of a private studio, accommodations, and three prepared meals a day for from two weeks to two months. It is offered three times a year. Located in the bucolic and culturally vibrant Monadnock region of New Hampshire, the Colony itself has long been associated with the arts in New Hampshire.
The Art of Journalism has supported such notable nonfiction work as the essays of James Baldwin, Frances Fitzgerald’s investigations into the Vietnam War, Shane Bauer’s exposé of private prisons, as well the work of journalists Sheri Fink, Ta-Nehisi Coates, William Finnegan, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc. Why not you?
There are no residency fees, however, fellows are responsible for the cost of travel to and from the Colony. The program offers stipends, and funding is also available “to help reimburse artists for costs associated with travel, including shipping of materials.” Application must be submitted online (they no longer accept mailed applications) and there is a $30 non-refundable application processing fee which is paid online by debit or credit card.
Those with questions may contact the Admissions office: admissions@macdowellcolony.org or phone 603-924-3886 ext. 113.
3. THE CONFERENCE BEAT
*** Health Journalism 2018 Fellowships Deadline, Feb. 16: The Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ) is offering several travel fellowships covering much of the cost of attending their Health Journalism 2018 conference in Phoenix this April.
Of the 10 kinds of fellowships, six are for reporters in particular states (Colorado, New York, Rhode Island, Kansas, Missouri and California). Others will provide financial assistance to reporters at ethnic media outlets, those covering rural health, interested reporters working on non-health beats, and college journalism students or instructors.
Typically, a fellowship covers the conference registration fee, one year’s membership in AHCJ (new or extended), up to four nights in the conference hotel (Wed.-Sat.), and up to $400 for travel assistance within the continental United States. (“This may not cover ALL travel costs.”)
While you’re at ACHJ’s fellowship page, also click on the conference program section. Along with many pertinent sessions on such broader topics regarding health policy in the Trump era, hospital economics, gene therapy, immigrant health care, medical marijuana, there will be specific panels on such subjects as “The increasing demand for palliative care,” “Reporting about people with disabilities” and “What reporters need to know about the changing scene of Alzheimer’s research.”
*** The American Society on Aging’s (ASA) Aging in America annual meeting is set for San Francisco, March 26-29. It’s one of the two major multidisciplinary professional meetings in aging with a somewhat more professional, business and practice orientation than the more academic research focused Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting, to be held next November in Boston.
Incidentally, this conference will mark 25 years since a half-dozen reporters met over Polish dumplings at a cheap place on Michigan Avenue during ASA’s 1993 annual meeting in Chicago, and founded what became the Journalists Network on Generations–and GBONews.
This year’s ASA program includes hundreds of presentations on a range of subjects, such as health, mental health, managed care, diversity and spirituality. The program folds in several mini-conferences, some with separate registrations, organized by smaller associations or entities in the field. Notable on March 28 will be two all-day special programs, the 15th Annual “What’s Next” Boomer Business Summit all day March 28, and the second annual Summit on Livable Communities for All Ages. (More about these below.) The program, which will attract 3,000 attendees, will be held mainly at the San Francisco Hilton, downtown, with some sessions at the Parc 55 Hotel, two blocks away.
Reporters can apply for a complimentary media access pass at the conference home page. Scroll to the bottom of that page to review the rather lengthy list of requirements. If you plan to attend the conference (and are approved for a press pass), please let me know. I’d like to organize a dinner outing for journalists one evening that week and need to know who, if anyone, would like to join our table. (If you apply and are not approved for a media pass, please let the editor of GBONews know. There have been past problems with non-approvals of or non-responses to even well-established journalists, so it will be helpful to know where those recur.)
Accommodations for the conference will be spare. ASA Communications Manager Ty Johnson let GBONews know, “There will be a small board room available for media personnel (Marina Room, lobby level). There will not be any catering provided.” So, no java, much less morning nibbles. Johnson also added that the conference organizers “are still looking into possible wireless but they haven’t reached a decision yet. The press room will be intermittently staffed throughout the week, but I should be able arrange a daily press briefing based on requests,” such as from attending companies and agencies.
Even if you’re not coming to San Francisco, GBO readers, you may still pull information for your stories from the online schedule, such as conference session titles and names of speakers, who you may be able to contact as expert sources. Search particular sessions here. You do not have to fill in all of the fields, such as “Code,” to get results. Just enter a topic area or speaker’s name, which will bring up relevant session titles, such as “Malnutrition in Nursing Homes: A Silent Epidemic,” to be held March 26. Click on the title to get the time, location and list of speakers.
The Opening General Session will be held at the end of the first full day of sessions, March 26, 4 p.m. It will be “How Technology is Reinventing Aging.” The panel will include experts from Samsung, IBM, Comcast and others. Direct questions about the overall conference to Ty Johnson, phone: (919) 222-8910; email: tjohnson@asaging.org.
As mentioned above, two breakout programs of particular note will be:
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March 28 — 15th Annual What’s Next Boomer Business Summit, themed this year, “The 2020 View: Your Blueprint for the Longevity Economy,” to be held at the Parc 55 Hotel, not far from the Hilton. This program is usually very welcoming of journalists and authors. It’s never only about corporate interests, but instead offers reporters a one-stop event to pick up on consumer trends in product, service and tech development, as well as what’s getting financed and what are key marketing trends to watch for in the coming year. Among the many entrepreneurial and venture-capital leaders on hand to speak, will be writers such as Eric Taub of the 360 Group (formerly of the New York Times), and Laurie Orlov, of Aging in Place Technology News and one of the top market analysts in the field. The media contact for this event is Lori Bitter (Lori@LoriBitter.com).
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March 29 — The 2nd Annual Summit on Livable Communities for All Ages promises to “present national expertise and promising practices, prototypes and successful projects that address acute local challenges in age-friendly domains such as housing, transportation, outdoor spaces and buildings, and community and health services.”
Again, let me if you plan to attend the conference, so I can organize a reporter’s dinner to schmooze by. Email me at pfkleyman@gmail.com or paul.kleyman@earthlink.net.
4. THE BOOKMOBILE
*** Ashton Applewhite landed a book deal to bring out a new edition of her highly regarded self-published volume, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. Applewhite, who topped the 2016 list of Influencers in Aging named by the PBS Next Avenue website, signed with Celadon Books (a new Macmillan imprint) for the new edition, which will come out in about a year.
Applewhite joins the ranks of self-published and small-press authors who have been successful enough on their own to land agreements with larger entities. She writes, “Self-publish together to change the world! — the manifesto has done great, but it’s impossible to get major media attention or books into bookstores without corporate clout. I’m ready for the right partner and Celadon is it.” She adds in her blog post that almost 40 years ago she worked for another Macmillan imprint in the same building where Celadon is now housed.
*** Lessons from the Oldest Old on Terry Gross: The New York Times’ John Leland gained a spot on NPR’s “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross, Jan. 24, for an engaging interview about his new book, Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons from A Year Among the Oldest Old (Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus, Giroux). At the “Fresh Air” site, a full transcript accompanies the link to the 35-min. audio segment.
Leland recounts, “When I started doing this series, I’d set out to – what one of the people I talked to calls – rewriting the Book of Job and doing a story on how this is terrible about aging. And you fall down, and you break your hip, and then it’s all over. And you lose your eyesight, and then your friends all die, and then it’s over. And your heart stops working. And you don’t have sex anymore. And you don’t work. And you don’t have anything that gives you purpose. So now, it’s all over. And that’s what I thought old age was. But then you spend time with people, and a lot of that stuff is a part of their lives in old age but in no case was it how they defined themselves. So I wasn’t getting it – what the truth about their lives was as they saw it.”
For a media review copy and information on Leland’s other appearances, contact Caroline Zavakos: caroline.zavakos@fsgbooks.com; phone: 212-206-5227.
*** Speaking of self/small publishing we received Aging Famously: Follow Those You Admire to Living Long and Well, by Elizabeth Meade Howard, Jefferson Park Press, Charlottesville, Va., 2017: Howard, a former reporter, published this assemblage of her 32 favorite interviews with older personalities, many famous, some not. She organized the book loosely in three sections, “Loss,” “Passionate Purpose” and “Faith, Hope, Love,” with feature profiles of subjects she felt have something to say about those themes from the vantage point of later life. Howard recounts how her father’s experiences following her mother’s death in 1971 inspired this book project.
Reporters may be more particularly interested in her visits with such journalists as Walter Cronkite and Helen Thomas, photographers Gordon Parks and Helen Levitt, and documentary film pioneer Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter, Gray Gardens), one of the more touching piece in the book. Among other big names included are Hal Holbrook, Carol Channing, Rosa Parks, Jesse Jackson and former New York Mayor Ed Koch. Among those lesser known is an odd lot of individuals, such as hale and hearty Charlottesville centenarian “Holmes Brown, Public Relations Innovator,” and “Dr. Ian Pretyman Strevenson, Reincarnation Researcher,” also “a clinical psychiatrist and scholar at the University of Virginia.”
Aside from the book’s occasional insights, though, the volume offers the author’s forays over several decades one feature writer’s celebrity runways and local byways of aging. Reporters can visit the book’s website at www.agingfamously.com, or request a copy (eBook or hard copy) from the author at emhoward33@aol.com.
The Journalists Network on Generations (JNG), founded in 1993, publishes Generations Beat Online News (GBONews.org). JNG provides information and networking opportunities for journalists covering generational issues, but not those representing services, products or lobbying agendas. Copyright 2018 JNG. For more information contact GBO Editor Paul Kleyman.
To subscribe of unsubscribe, or if you have technical problems receiving issues of GBO or if you’d like to be removed from the list, e-mail me at paul.kleyman@earthlink.net, or pfkleyman@gmail.com or phone me at 415-821-2801.