Media & Politics Must Reads, January 20, 2017

Our weekly roundup of news found at the intersection of media, politics, policy and technology, from the Shorenstein Center and from around the web.

This Week at the Shorenstein Center

‘Digital dangers’ and online obstacles: Legal tips for journalists. It can be perilous in the digital age to offend the powerful, rich and litigious. A lawyer and Fortune staff writer offers advice on how journalists can protect themselves for Journalist’s Resource.

News from Our Faculty and Fellows 

No Racial Barrier Left to Break (Except All of Them). Khalil G. Muhammad, Professor of History, Race and Public Policy, writes that “we can’t create a more just nation simply by dressing up institutions in more shades of brown. Now we must confront structural racism.”

To be or not to be a first lady. Melinda Henneberger, spring 2013 fellow, considers the role of the first lady throughout U.S. history, and how Melania Trump appears to be “retiring the role” for now.

A Century-Old Poet Looks Back — And Fearlessly Forward — In ‘Purgatory.’ Henry Morgenthau, fall 1993 fellow (who started writing poetry in his 90s), has published his first poetry book.

Reporting on the Inauguration and Protests

• 5 Tips for Covering Conflict at the 2017 Inauguration, from National Press Photographers Association.
• CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering the US presidential inauguration and protests, from Committee to Protect Journalists.

The Media and the Trump Administration

• SPJ, 60 other journalism groups, ask Trump administration for meeting on government access, from Society of Professional Journalists.
• An open letter to Trump from the US press corps, from Columbia Journalism Review.
• Trump vs. Obama on the Press, from The New Yorker.
• Why Donald Trump doesn’t have a libel case against BuzzFeed, from Poynter.
• Trump Is Making Journalism Great Again, from

Civic Discourse and Civic Engagement

• What’s the Point of Editorials When Ideology Outweighs Facts? From Nieman Reports.
• Trump, Clinton Voters Divided in Their Main Source for Election News, from Pew Research Center.
• Chat the Vote: How Snapchat, Amazon and Facebook Messenger Reimagined Civic Engagement in the 2016 Election, from Knight Foundation.

New Partnerships, Beats and Approaches

• This is The New York Times’ digital path forward, from Nieman Lab.
• In 2017, Journalists Have to Partner, Not Parachute, from MediaShift.
• The Washington Post Will Have a Reporter on the Urban-Rural Divide, from
• Not just ‘Trump’s America’: These journalists will spend 100 days digging into Appalachia, from Poynter.
• Here’s How You Can Help BuzzFeed And Other Newsrooms Track Hate Crimes, from BuzzFeed.
• Tarbell, launched by an ex-health insurance exec, will focus on corporate cash’s political influence, from Nieman Lab.
• A new collaboration: NPR stations nationwide are working together to spot trends in state governments, from Nieman Lab.

Fake News

• Did fake news help elect Trump? Not likely, according to new research, from Poynter.
• From Headline to Photograph, a Fake News Masterpiece, from The New York Times.

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.