About the Jprof ...
Bill Kovarik is a Professor of Communication and coordinator of the journalism program at Radford University in the Blue Ridge mountains of southwestern Virginia. He served as the 2009 Canwest Global Media Fellow at the University of Western Ontario and has also served as a visiting professor at Virginia Tech.
Kovarik is a journalist and historian who has worked with wire services, daily newspapers and national news magazines. He teaches science and environment writing, journalism, web design, media history media law, and peace studies. He is serving on the board of the Society of Environmental Journalists. He also writes for Appalachian Voice and other science and environmental publications. More >> |
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Recent commentary
Where are the Steve Wozniaks of the Energy Revolution? True Slant, May 30, 2010
Why it is that the social construction of energy technology is so much more difficult than the social construction of, say, computing and the digital media revolution? Was IBM that much less of a challenge than Standard Oil? Where are the Steve Wozniaks of the energy revolution?”
A Better Law is Needed Encyclopedia Britannica Advocacy for Animals forum, May 10, 2010
It’s easy to understand the disappointment of animal rights activists following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a federal law barring the sale of videos that depict the abuse and killing of animals. On the other hand, one of our most cherished legal principles is that any that law diminishing the First Amendment right of free speech must be very narrowly defined...
Appalachian Feudalism New York Times, April 14, 2010
Why (are these mine disasters) happening? Three factors stand out. Appalachian people are have been historically oppressed, with ugly stereotypes used to justify their mistreatment. The history of coal mining in Appalachia shows over a century of constant violence against those who have stood up for human rights, for labor unions and for other reforms... And the external costs of coal, in terms of human health or the natural environment, have never been reflected in what consumers pay to keep the lights on.
Enduring legacy: Women and the Environmental Movement -Radford Women's Forum, March 9, 2010
Appreciation for the history of women, minorities, labor and social movements is long overdue, since these stories are just as close to the heart of the democratic experience, or perhaps closer, than many found in traditional American history textbooks. Especially interesting is the leading role women played in the nation’s early environmental movement. This movement began at least a century and a half ago, peaked in the Progressive era of the 1890s, and then declined during the war years in the early- to mid-20th century...
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