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 »
A paper by Barrie Dunsmore, fall 1995 fellow, explores the questions that arise from the possibility of live television coverage from the battlefield. What are its likely military consequences? Does it actually threaten operational security? Could it affect or change the outcome of a battle or even the war? What are its political consequences? What
The Next War: Live? Read More »
A paper by Carol B. Conaway, fall 1994 fellow, examines the media coverage of the 1991 Crown Heights riot, which was sparked when two Caribbean-American children were struck by an automobile in the motorcade of a Jewish sect leader. Conaway asks: How did the press frame the antagonists and the conflict that occurred in Crown
Framing Identity: The Press in Crown Heights Read More »
A paper by Bernard Margueritte, fall 1993 fellow, surveys the state of the press in Eastern Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain. With weak training and standards, intense competition, and an invasion of Western investors, managers and press models, Eastern European media outlets faced numerous challenges. Attempts at serious journalism competed against sensationalist
Post-Communist Eastern Europe: The Difficult Birth of a Free Press Read More »
A paper by Michael Milburn, spring 1993 fellow, and Justin Brown, analyzes the impact of media outlets’ “Adwatch” features in the 1992 election. Partly in response to the highly emotional negative ad campaign against Michael Dukakis in 1988 masterminded by Roger Ailes, many television stations and newspapers developed “Adwatch” features designed to educate viewers/readers about
A paper by Adeyinka Adeyemi, fall 1993 fellow, analyzes Nigeria’s media landscape and finds that despite outward signs of a modern and vibrant press/government relationship, the country’s press is still not truly free. Adeyemi traces the oscillation between subtle and unsubtle forms of coercion and cooptation used by a series of military governments since the
A paper by Alison Carper, spring 1994 fellow, responds to the increasing use of reader surveys and focus groups in journalism. She argues that this approach brings with it the risks of majoritarianism. Carper asks whether a press that takes its agendas from reader surveys and focus groups is a press that is truly fulfilling
A paper by Jorge Quiroga, fall 1993 fellow, examines press coverage of the Hispanic community in the United States. Quiroga argues that the press serves as a gatekeeper, denying members of the Hispanic community full membership in the American political and social community. He describes how media coverage of Hispanic issues is frequently inadequate, with
Hispanic Voices: Is the Press Listening? Read More »
A paper by Dean Alger, spring 1993 fellow, examines the evolution of Bush and Clinton’s public personas during the 1992 presidential campaign. Alger traces the increasing importance of a candidate’s character and personality to the rise of campaign consultants, the increase of citizen involvement in the primaries, and the rise of television. This paper uses
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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