A paper by Tim Cooke, spring 1998 fellow, examines the role of the news media in societies affected by violent conflict, in particular, Northern Ireland. As paramilitary groups responsible for 30 years of headlines moved into the political arena and Northern Ireland transitioned into peace, how did the country’s news media cover and frame the […]
A paper by Connie Chung, spring 1997 fellow, provides an insider’s account of a driving force in modern television news: the celebrity interview. Securing such an interview is highly competitive. Chung shows the techniques and strategies journalists use, and the role luck and circumstance sometimes play. Drawing on her own experience as well as that
The Business of Getting “The Get”: Nailing an Exclusive Interview in Prime Time Read More »
A paper by Sara Bentivegna, fall 1997 fellow, examines the concept of the public sphere within computer mediated communication. The particular focus is on communication produced by citizens who take part in news groups of a political nature. These news groups consist of people who discuss, via computer, relevant events of political life. Particularly active
Talking Politics on the Net Read More »
A paper by Lisa Bennett, spring 1998 fellow, argues that although media coverage of gays and lesbians has improved in recent decades, coverage in the 1990s continued to include distorted and negative allegations. When journalists first came to the story of homosexuality at the end of World War II, the stigma surrounding the subject was
A paper by Jeff Trimble, fall 1991 fellow, analyzes how the Russian KGB dramatically transformed its image over time. The KGB, under different sets of initials, evoked frightening memories of the Soviet period of Russian history. Millions were herded into the communist version of concentration camps, transported to Siberia, or executed for having the wrong
Spreading the Word: The KGB’s Image-Building Under Gorbachev Read More »
A paper by Margaret Scammell, spring 1996 fellow, explores the export of the American political campaign. Democratic campaigns around the globe have seen an increase in “professionalization” of communication, which Scammell examines critically. She also investigates the sources of ideas and influences which underpin U.S. campaigning rationale – why do campaigners behave as they do?
The Wisdom of the War Room: U.S. Campaigning and Americanization Read More »
Richard Parker, Lecturer in Public Policy, writes about the need for a new way of reporting on economic issues – one that better incorporates the public. Parker argues that even the clearest statement of what economists know about policy, written by journalists who are as well trained in economics, might still not penetrate the public’s
A paper by Steven Livingston, spring 1996 fellow, examines the “CNN effect,” or the concept that global, real-time media affects the conduct of U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy. Livingston first seeks to clarify what exactly is meant by the CNN effect. He then distinguishes different types of foreign policies, with different means, potential, costs (measured
A paper by William John Fox, spring 1995 fellow, argues that Canada’s public broadcasting network has declined in quality after succumbing to commercial pressures to alter its programming in the 1980s. He details the network’s election coverage, demonstrating that serious public policy has given way to “horse-race” coverage, failing the network’s mission and audience. Download
A paper by James Carroll, spring 1997 fellow, examines press coverage of the Holocaust between l995-1997. More than 600 stories appeared in The New York Times in this brief period, about one a day. Thousands of others have appeared in other American media. Whether the stories have focused on Swiss banks, plundered artwork, or Madeleine
Shoah in the News: Patterns and Meanings of News Coverage of the Holocaust Read More »
Racial and ethnic diversity in the American press is a long standing concern. This Shorenstein Center report concludes that while much research has been done and the objectives are clear, there are numerous obstacles to implementation. Under-representation of minorities is a pervasive problem in all of America’s elite professions, including the press. Affirmative action programs
A paper by Claude Moisy, spring 1995 fellow, asks whether the Internet is likely to improve the flow of international news, make the public more aware of world problems and, consequently, contribute to their solution. To address these questions, Moisy looks at the “information revolution” as it unfolded in the 1990s, examining the production and
The Foreign News Flow in the Information Age Read More »
The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy is a Harvard Kennedy School research center dedicated to exploring and illuminating the intersection of press, politics and public policy in theory and practice. The Center strives to bridge the gap between journalists and scholars, and between them and the public.
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