UO E-clips, Jan. 21

A public apology and the role of the press (OPB News): In written statements, and in a lengthy press conference, Adams apologized for lying about having a sexual relationship with a teenager. But he admitted he was only coming forward due to pressure from the press. … University of Oregon journalism ethics professor, Tom Bivins, says the story unnecessarily delves into Adams’ private life.

Playing video games good for you? (CNBC.com, similar story in the Orlando Sentinel and multiple other news sources): You've heard the complaints over and over again. Kids playing video games instead of playing the real version outside. But the folks at Electronic Arts are here to say that there's some value in playing one of their most stalwart franchises, "Madden." EA commissioned the University of Oregon's Warsaw Sports Marketing Center to survey average NFL fans versus those that played "Madden."

Race still an issue despite presidency (DelawareOnline.com): All it took was 17 minutes to convince Heriberto Caraballo that Barack Obama would be president someday. It took his friends a bit longer. "They said, 'Shut up, there's never going to be a black president,' " said Caraballo, a 28-year-old Wilmington resident who began supporting Obama after the then-Illinois senator's keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. … A recent study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine and the University of Oregon found that how individuals perceive themselves and are perceived by others is fluid based in part on their social position.

State’s jobless rate rises again (Register-Guard): Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate last month reached its highest mark in 23 years, increasing from 8 percent in November to 9 percent in December, state officials said Tuesday. The state’s unemployment rate has risen rapidly and substantially over the past six months after remaining stable throughout the first half of 2008 at near 5.5 percent, the state Employment Department said. … Mark Thoma, an economics professor at the University of Oregon who blogs at economistsview.typepad.com, said it will probably be more than a year before the employment picture starts to brighten.

The Founder's great mistake (Atlantic Monthly article by Garrett Epps, UO Law professor): In today's excerpt -- the powers of the United States president: "According to James Madison's Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787, the [powers of the president] received surprisingly little attention at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. ... "In the end, the Framers were artfully vague about the extent and limits of the president's powers. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, which empowers Congress, runs 429 words; Article II, Section 2, the presidential equivalent, is about half as long. The powers assigned to the president alone are few: he can require Cabinet members to give him their opinions in writing; he can convene a special session of Congress 'on extraordinary occasions,' and may set a date for adjournment if the two houses cannot agree on one; he receives ambassadors and is commander in chief of the armed forces; he has a veto on legislation (which Congress can override); and he has the power to pardon.