Commentaries

The Shorenstein Center’s Commentary Blog brings together original writing and articles written by Shorenstein Center experts to provide context, explainers, and new research on topics in the news. 

Public Interest Technology,
Banning TikTok? Walter Shorenstein Fellow Julia Angwin says Congress is missing the point
March 18, 2024
Julia Angwin The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill on March 13th that would...
Commentary, Documentary Film in the Public Interest,
What’s at Risk in the Streaming Media Age
January 18, 2024
We’ve seen many press stories in the past year about the headwinds facing legacy entertainment media...
Commentary, Documentary Film,
A True Story of Reflection - With Love
December 18, 2023
On October 28, 2023 at the age of 86, my dad passed away, unexpectedly. And in the wake of his death,...
Commentary, Documentary Film, Public Interest Journalism,
New podcast: A “thousand” ways to make a good documentary
December 13, 2023
In my 40-year career in film and video I’ve known and worked in circles of documentarians who admire...
Commentary,
Americans in former Confederate states more likely to say violent protest against government is justified, 160 years after Gettysburg
June 28, 2023
Over the July Fourth long weekend, people will pour into the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania,...
Commentary, News Business & Practice, Public Interest Journalism,
Muting Trump’s ‘megaphone’ easier said than done
June 23, 2023
Shorenstein Center professors Matthew Baum and Thomas Patterson talked to the Harvard Gazette about the...
Behavioral Decision Science, Commentary,
To have better disagreements, change your words – here are 4 ways to make your counterpart feel heard and keep the conversation going
June 1, 2023
According to Professor Julia Minson, focusing on your own behavior (rather than how you think or feel)...
Commentary,
At Harvard, Tom Hanks offered an increasingly rare moment of grace
May 31, 2023
Shorenstein Center Director Nancy Gibbs offers her commentary on the Most Trusted Person in America and...
Commentary,
A roadmap for TV coverage of the 2024 campaign
May 16, 2023
CNN might have lost its soul when it recently invited Donald Trump to a live town hall meeting, but it...
Commentary, Press Freedom,
Threats To Press Freedom In The COVID-19 Era
May 3, 2023
On World Press Freedom Day 2023, research fellow Anjuli R. K. Shere assesses the lingering impact of...