CUNY TV's Bob Herbert's Op-Ed.TV

Latest Episodes:

Lance Freeman on The Ghetto in Black America Jun 03, 2019

Show notes

Black ghetto can be a loaded term. The knee-jerk thought is of a place with rundown housing, high crime rates, family dissolution, unemployment. Bob's guest, Lance Freeman, sees the ghetto, with its long and troubled history, as a two-sided coin – and not all bad by any means. Freeman is a professor of urban planning at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and he’s the author of a new book, “A Haven and a Hell: The Ghetto in Black America.”

Modernizing the Vote in New York with Sean Morales-Doyle May 21, 2019

Show notes

Right now, one of the fundamental threats to our republic is the continuing, unconscionable assault on the voting rights of our citizens.

Bob talks about this, as well as how New York's voting practices need to step into the 21st century, with his guest Sean Morales-Doyle, who serves as counsel in the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.

Integrating Our Public Schools with Richard Kahlenberg May 07, 2019

Show notes

There is substantial evidence, developed over many years, that the integration of public schools results in widespread socioeconomic benefits. These benefits accrue to all of the students who learn in an integrated setting.

And yet there has been resistance, often bitter resistance, at nearly every turn when it comes to integrating our schools. At the moment we are not only NOT making progress on school integration, we are going backwards.

Bob discusses why this is the case with guest Richard Kahlenberg, a longtime proponent of racial and socioeconomic integration.

Mr. Kahlenberg is a senior fellow with The Century Foundation and the author, with two of his colleagues, of an important report entitled, “A Bold Agenda for School Integration.”

The Hard Truths about Climate Change with Alex Halliday Apr 23, 2019

Show notes

Climate change, with its rising temperatures and rising sea levels, its wildfires and extreme weather events, is a profound threat to much of the life on this planet, including human life. And yet we are not taking anything close to the steps necessary to mitigate this existential challenge. Bob explores some of the hard truths about climate change with his guest - one of the wisest minds on this issue - Alex Halliday, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

The Past and Future of Journalism with Eric Alterman Apr 23, 2019

Show notes

The 1970’s we were in something like a golden era of professional journalism. Jobs were plentiful. Much of the coverage out of Vietnam was extraordinary. The civil rights movement was documented by many first-rate, and brave, reporters and photographers. The New York Times and then other publications would soon be publishing the Pentagon Papers. Woodward and Bernstein would win a Pulitzer Prize for their outstanding coverage of the Watergate scandal. And so on. How things have changed. Donald Trump now refers to hard-working, responsible mainstream reporters as enemies of the people. Legitimate journalism outlets are hemorrhaging jobs. Bob’s guest, Eric Alterman, the media columnist for The Nation magazine, has written a piece lamenting the fact that on social media, toxic lies and rumors are in many cases filling the space once occupied by professional, evidence-based journalism.

The Human Trafficking Side to Illicit Massage Parlors Mar 26, 2019

Show notes

The arrest of Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, has thrown a national spotlight on illicit massage parlors in which women are required to provide sexual services to as many as a dozen men a day. The women are often trafficking victims in the grip of the criminal organizations that operate these parlors. Bob talks about this with his guests who offer legal and other help to women caught up in this profoundly abusive, often violent enterprise. They are Lori Cohen, director of the Sanctuary for Families Anti-Trafficking Initiative, and Yvonne Chen, who manages the initiative’s outreach efforts.

Michael Rebell on the Push for Civic Education Mar 12, 2019

Show notes

Civic ignorance is rampant in the U.S. and we are all paying a price for it. What can be done? Bob asks guest Michael Rebell, a Columbia professor who is engaged in an all-out campaign to improve the teaching of civics & government in our public schools.

The Importance of The Green Book with Brent Staples Feb 22, 2019

Show notes

Bob is joined by journalist Brent Staples, whose recent editorial in The New York Times talks about how strong of a need there was for ‘The Negro Motorist Green-Book,’ the travel guide from which the popular film "Green Book" gets its name.

Maxine Gordon On The Legacy of Jazz Musician Dexter Gordon Feb 11, 2019

Show notes

Dexter Gordon was an extraordinary jazz musician, a tenor saxophonist, and composer. His autobiography was unfinished at the time of his death in 1990, and has now been completed by his widow, Maxine Gordon, who shares some of Dexter's stories.

Sam Schwartz on Driverless Cars and Lessening Gridlock Jan 28, 2019

Show notes

Are autonomous vehicles really the wave of the future? Bob Herbert welcomes transportation expert Sam Schwartz to discuss his new book “NO ONE AT THE WHEEL: Driverless Cars and the Road of the Future.”