The Year in Review

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It doesn-t seem likely that 2004 will go down in history as a year that Americans agreed on very many things -- not in public, at least. From pop culture to politics, and from Washington to Hollywood, much of the debate seemed to center on values. We sparred over everything, from Janet Jackson and the war in Iraq to abortion, a long-time moral issue of the religious right. Is there really a red-blue divide in the US? Will left-wing thinkers launch their own values-based critiques of social issues? How will values shape the debate next year, and whose values will they be? Guest host Sara Terry joins journalists, sociologists and experts on American religion, politics and culture for a look at how this year-s polarizing conflicts will shape the debate over important issues in 2005. Making News: Western Response to Tsunami Crisis The death toll from the tsunami that struck twelve nations this week has risen sharply, to nearly 120,000. As local volunteers and international aid organizations race to bring relief to survivors, western governments have responded with pledges of aid for the region. But they-ve also had to cope with the deaths of their own citizens who were on vacation when the tsunami struck. The Chicago Tribune's Cam Simpson has more. Reporter's Notebook: The Year of the Blog As posting rants, raves and insights on one's own website became something of an international past time, 2004 saw an explosion of interest in web logs. These 'bloggers' even influenced the US presidential race. But is blogging destined to become a victim of its own renegade success? We hear more about how private cyber pundits made their voices heard in very public debates from Dan Gillmor, technology columnist for the San Jose Mercury-News.
It doesn-t seem likely that 2004 will go down in history as a year that Americans agreed on very many things -- not in public, at least. From pop culture to politics, and from Washington to Hollywood, much of the debate seemed to center on values. We sparred over everything, from Janet Jackson and the war in Iraq to abortion, a long-time moral issue of the religious right. Is there really a red-blue divide in the US? Will left-wing thinkers launch their own values-based critiques of social issues? How will values shape the debate next year, and whose values will they be? Guest host Sara Terry joins journalists, sociologists and experts on American religion, politics and culture for a look at how this year-s polarizing conflicts will shape the debate over important issues in 2005.
  • Making News: Western Response to Tsunami Crisis
    The death toll from the tsunami that struck twelve nations this week has risen sharply, to nearly 120,000. As local volunteers and international aid organizations race to bring relief to survivors, western governments have responded with pledges of aid for the region. But they-ve also had to cope with the deaths of their own citizens who were on vacation when the tsunami struck. The Chicago Tribune's Cam Simpson has more.
  • Reporter's Notebook: The Year of the Blog
    As posting rants, raves and insights on one's own website became something of an international past time, 2004 saw an explosion of interest in web logs. These 'bloggers' even influenced the US presidential race. But is blogging destined to become a victim of its own renegade success? We hear more about how private cyber pundits made their voices heard in very public debates from Dan Gillmor, technology columnist for the San Jose Mercury-News.
Guest host Sara Terry is an award-winning writer and photographer, who has written for the Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, Fast Company, Rolling Stone and the Boston Globe. Her photo-documentary project, Aftermath: Bosnia's Long Road to Peace, will be published in September, 2005.

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Warren Olney