headshot of Sarah Smarsh

Sarah Smarsh

Sarah Smarsh is the author of the forthcoming book Heartland: A Daughter of the Working Class Reconciles an American Divide (Scribner, September 2018). A freelance journalist and former professor of nonfiction writing, Smarsh covers politics and economic inequality for The Guardian, the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, and others from her home state of Kansas. She contributed to the 2017 book Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation and is a frequent speaker on socioeconomic class and related media narratives. While at the Shorenstein Center, Smarsh began working on a podcast exploring the intersection of health and poverty, with a focus on rural experiences.

The Homecomers Podcast

Sarah Smarsh was a Spring 2018 Fellow at the Shorenstein Center. During her fellowship she began work on a podcast featuring voices from the American heartland, which has now been released as The Homecomers. The podcast continues many of the themes from Smarsh’s bestselling book Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in

Read More »

A Year in Review at the Shorenstein Center

It felt like every week of 2018 turned up another major news story that directly related to our work at the intersection of media, politics, and public policy. In the midst of it all, the team at the Shorenstein Center put out some incredible research on information disorder, platform accountability, business models for news, and

Read More »
Sarah Smarsh

Experiencing and Reporting on Rural America

Sarah Smarsh is the author of Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth (Scribner, September 2018), a finalist for the 2018 National Book Award. A freelance journalist and former professor of nonfiction writing, Smarsh covers politics and economic inequality for The Guardian, the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, and others from

Read More »
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Media & Politics Must Reads, May 11, 2018

Our weekly roundup of news found at the intersection of media, politics, policy and technology, from the Shorenstein Center and from around the web. Sign up to receive Media and Politics Must Reads in your inbox each week. Also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook for more updates. This Week at the Shorenstein Center Campaign 2018: Improving Cyber Literacy in

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Heather Thompson

Media and Politics Must Reads, March 23, 2018

Our weekly roundup of news found at the intersection of media, politics, policy and technology, from the Shorenstein Center and from around the web. Sign up to receive Media and Politics Must Reads in your inbox each week. Also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook for more updates. This Week at the Shorenstein Center Heather Ann Thompson on the Criminal

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Media and Politics Must Reads, March 16, 2018

Our weekly roundup of news found at the intersection of media, politics, policy and technology, from the Shorenstein Center and from around the web. Sign up to receive Media and Politics Must Reads in your inbox each week. Also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook for more updates. Recently at the Shorenstein Center 2018 Goldsmith Awards. The annual Goldsmith Prize

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Sarah Smarsh

Sarah Smarsh: Reporting on Rural America and Class

April 18, 2017—Sarah Smarsh, a reporter on socioeconomic class, politics, and policy for The New Yorker, The Guardian, Harper’s online, and other publications, discussed media coverage of class in the U.S. Below are some highlights from her conversation with Shorenstein Center Director Nicco Mele, as well as the full audio recording. The Construct of the “White

Read More »
Sarah Smarsh

Sarah Smarsh: Reporting on Rural America and Class

April 18, 2017—Sarah Smarsh, a reporter on socioeconomic class, politics, and policy for The New Yorker, The Guardian, Harper’s online, and other publications, discussed media coverage of class in the U.S. Below are some highlights from her conversation with Shorenstein Center Director Nicco Mele, as well as the full audio recording. The Construct of the “White

Read More »

The Homecomers Podcast

Sarah Smarsh was a Spring 2018 Fellow at the Shorenstein Center. During her fellowship she began work on a podcast featuring voices from the American heartland, which has now been released as The Homecomers. The podcast continues many of the themes from Smarsh’s bestselling book Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in

Read More »

A Year in Review at the Shorenstein Center

It felt like every week of 2018 turned up another major news story that directly related to our work at the intersection of media, politics, and public policy. In the midst of it all, the team at the Shorenstein Center put out some incredible research on information disorder, platform accountability, business models for news, and

Read More »
Sarah Smarsh

Experiencing and Reporting on Rural America

Sarah Smarsh is the author of Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth (Scribner, September 2018), a finalist for the 2018 National Book Award. A freelance journalist and former professor of nonfiction writing, Smarsh covers politics and economic inequality for The Guardian, the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, and others from

Read More »
Election security shield

Media & Politics Must Reads, May 11, 2018

Our weekly roundup of news found at the intersection of media, politics, policy and technology, from the Shorenstein Center and from around the web. Sign up to receive Media and Politics Must Reads in your inbox each week. Also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook for more updates. This Week at the Shorenstein Center Campaign 2018: Improving Cyber Literacy in

Read More »
Heather Thompson

Media and Politics Must Reads, March 23, 2018

Our weekly roundup of news found at the intersection of media, politics, policy and technology, from the Shorenstein Center and from around the web. Sign up to receive Media and Politics Must Reads in your inbox each week. Also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook for more updates. This Week at the Shorenstein Center Heather Ann Thompson on the Criminal

Read More »

Media and Politics Must Reads, March 16, 2018

Our weekly roundup of news found at the intersection of media, politics, policy and technology, from the Shorenstein Center and from around the web. Sign up to receive Media and Politics Must Reads in your inbox each week. Also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook for more updates. Recently at the Shorenstein Center 2018 Goldsmith Awards. The annual Goldsmith Prize

Read More »
Sarah Smarsh

Sarah Smarsh: Reporting on Rural America and Class

April 18, 2017—Sarah Smarsh, a reporter on socioeconomic class, politics, and policy for The New Yorker, The Guardian, Harper’s online, and other publications, discussed media coverage of class in the U.S. Below are some highlights from her conversation with Shorenstein Center Director Nicco Mele, as well as the full audio recording. The Construct of the “White

Read More »
Sarah Smarsh

Sarah Smarsh: Reporting on Rural America and Class

April 18, 2017—Sarah Smarsh, a reporter on socioeconomic class, politics, and policy for The New Yorker, The Guardian, Harper’s online, and other publications, discussed media coverage of class in the U.S. Below are some highlights from her conversation with Shorenstein Center Director Nicco Mele, as well as the full audio recording. The Construct of the “White

Read More »