Dave Berkman (1934-2015) was a college professor and media critic. Berkman taught
mass communications at UW-Milwaukee, among other universities. For many years he
wrote a column called "Media Musings" for the Shepherd Express, a Milwaukee
alternative paper. He also hosted Wisconsin Public Radio's "Media Talk" show for 13
years.
Berkman was a liberal, a civil rights activist, and a free speech absolutist, and
served on the state boards of the ACLU in Wisconsin and Connecticut, as well as on
the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Minority Task Force. Berkman was a member
of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters, and advocated protecting
Public Broadcasting's independence from political threats. He was a man of strong
opinions who loved politics and argument.
