celebrity activism – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

A volunteer sorts through donated clothing as part of a bushfire appeal. Generally, it’s best to give money - unless the organisation to which you are donating has requested specific goods. AAP/DEAN LEWINS

January 7, 2020

How to donate to Australian bushfire relief: give money, watch for scams and think long term

Krystian Seibert, Swinburne University of Technology

It's worth thinking carefully about how to give, to ensure you're not wasting your contribution or inadvertently making things worse.

Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey appear during a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Dec. 8, 2007. AP Photo/Paul Sancya

January 11, 2018

For black celebrities like Oprah, it’s impossible to be apolitical

Lauren Rebecca Sklaroff, University of South Carolina

Throughout American history, being a black celebrity has been a political act in and of itself. When viewed through this lens, the transition into politics for someone like Winfrey is more natural.

A medium-sized Australian charity will share more of its donors with the Salvation Army or the Red Cross than with Parkinson’s Australia. AAP/Joel Carrett

January 30, 2017

Celebrity charities just compete with all other charities – so why start one?

Margaret Faulkner, University of South Australia and Cathy Nguyen, University of South Australia

Charities, like all brands, are in a constant battle for attention – and they must win eyeballs more than hearts.

November 7, 2017

Switched-on city: how London learned to love Christmas lights

Henrik Linden, University of East London and Sara Linden, Goldsmiths, University of London

But they haven't been without controversy.

Taking a knee during the national anthem isn’t risk-free in the NFL. AP Photo/Stephen Brashear, File

December 12, 2016

Celebrity voices are powerful, but does the First Amendment let them say anything they want?

Shontavia Johnson, Drake University

Americans enjoy a right to free speech, and some public figures really exercise that right. The Constitution might not protect them the way they think it does, though.

There are shortcomings in celebrity led campaigns against “conflict minerals” such as the one in which US actress Robin Wright is involved. Robin Wright's instagram

April 19, 2016

The problem with Western activists trying to do good in Africa

Ben Radley, Erasmus University Rotterdam

The relationship between advocacy organisations based in Western capitals and their marketed constituency of marginalised and disadvantaged African groups is tenuous. What then, is the goal?

Benedict Cumberbatch in full flow. Anthony Devlin / PA Wire/Press Association Images

March 18, 2016

Are people getting a bit tired of being lectured to by do-gooding celebrities?

John Jewell, Cardiff University

Just because they are famous doesn't mean they know what they are talking about.

Ben Affleck championed the piece of legislation requiring companies reporting to the US Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose their use of ‘conflict minerals’ originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Reuters/Yuri Gripas

July 8, 2015

What’s missing from celebrity activism in Africa? The people

Georgia Cole, University of Oxford; Ben Radley, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and Jean-Benoit Falisse, University of Oxford

Celebrities help make causes known to larger audiences and can be effective in obtaining pledges from policymakers. Yet their simplified advocacy messages can lead to ineffective or harmful policies.

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