The Shorenstein Center

Tom Patterson, a man with short light colored hair wearing glasses and a dark sport coat over a light blue shirt

Team

Thomas E. Patterson

Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press

Thomas E. Patterson is Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press. In the past, he has authored three books, Informing the News: The Need for Knowledge-Based Journalism; How America Lost Its Mind: The Assault on Reason That’s Crippling Our Democracy, and Is the Republican Party Destroying Itself?. An earlier book, The Vanishing Voter, examined electoral participation, and his book on the media’s political role, Out of Order, received the American Political Science Association’s Graber Award as the best book of the decade in political communication. His first book, The Unseeing Eye, was named by the American Association for Public Opinion Research as one of the 50 most influential books on public opinion in the past half century. He is also the author of Mass Media Election: How Americans Choose Their President (1980), and an introductory American government text We the People, which is now in its 14th edition.. His articles have appeared in Political Communication, Journal of Communication, Public Opinion Quarterly, and other academic journals, as well as in the popular press. His research has been funded by the Ford, Markle, Smith-Richardson, Pew, Knight, Carnegie, and National Science foundations. Patterson received his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1971.

Related Content

Related Events

See All Events

25 Years Later: The Lessons and Legacy of September 11, 2001

25 Years Later: The Lessons and Legacy of September 11, 2001

Join Meghan O’Sullivan, Joe Pfeiffer, Admiral Mike Mullen, and Shorenstein Center Director Nancy Gibbs as they reflect on the legacy and lasting impact of the September 11 attacks, 25 years later.

Event

JFK Jr. Forum, Harvard Kennedy School
6:00 PM ET

Promotional graphic for a Harvard Kennedy School Forum marking 25 years since September 11, featuring headshots of four panelists and event details.
Sports betting on campus: What journalists need to know

Sports betting on campus: What journalists need to know

Discover the overlooked impacts of sports betting on college campuses and how to report on them with depth and context.

Event

Zoom webinar
July 28 - 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET

image of football field with three logos overlayed
Understanding the national debt and the risks of a fiscal crisis

Understanding the national debt and the risks of a fiscal crisis

What are the sources of the unprecedented rise in U.S. government debt, and what are the impacts of high debt on government and society?

Event

Zoom webinar
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET

Close-up of a button featuring the U.S. flag and Great Seal resting on a U.S. one-dollar bill, with logos for The Journalist's Resource and the Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center overlaid.
Only The Beginning: Sustainable Strategies For Tackling Loneliness

Only The Beginning: Sustainable Strategies For Tackling Loneliness

An inside look at the rise, challenges, and lasting lessons of the UK’s landmark loneliness strategy — and what it reveals about building durable social change.

Event

Zoom webinar
9:00 AM ET

headshots of panelists
The Cost of Local News: Paywalls, Information Inequality, and Democratic Engagement

The Cost of Local News: Paywalls, Information Inequality, and Democratic Engagement

Explore how local newspaper paywalls affect news consumption, online behavior, and political and economic knowledge, as well as voting and community engagement.

Event

Ash Center Seminar Room 225, Suite 200, 124 Mount Auburn Street
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET

Tablet displaying a news website with a pop-up that says “Subscribe today” and an email sign-up field, resting on a stack of newspapers on a wooden table.