Discussion Papers

Shorenstein Center Discussion Papers are written by fellows and visiting scholars. They are works of academic writing related to the Center’s core research initiatives, and are published by the Center with the goal of getting new ideas and research into the public eye.

The views expressed in Shorenstein Center Discussion Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Harvard Kennedy School or of Harvard University.

Discussion Papers have not undergone formal review and approval. Such papers are included in this series to elicit feedback and to encourage debate on important issues and public policy challenges.

Discussion Papers are published under the Kennedy School’s Open Access policy. Papers may be downloaded and will remain available to the public for free on our website.

Discussion Papers, Media Business, News Business & Practice, Public Interest Journalism, Publications,
Public Media Mergers Playbook
January 14, 2021
As local journalism continues to struggle to find a new economic footing, public media is one stalwart ally and anchor in the new local journalism landscape....
Discussion Papers, News Business & Practice, Policy & Issues, Publications, Race & Gender,
Self-Optimization in the Face of Patriarchy: How Mainstream Women’s Media Facilitates White Feminism
January 5, 2021
The capitalistic, corporate, individualistic narratives of fourth-wave and white feminism are communicated and reinforced by mainstream women's media....
Discussion Papers, Journalistic Practice, Local News, News Business & Practice, Press Freedom, Public Interest Journalism, Publications,
The National Trust for Local News
October 4, 2020
Proposing a new framework for newspaper ownership and governance that leverages national capital markets and supports accountability and decision-making...
Discussion Papers, Environment, Health & Science, International Affairs, Journalistic Practice, Papers, Policy & Issues, Politics & Government, Press Freedom, Public Interest Journalism, Publications,
Conveying Truth: Independent Media in Putin’s Russia
August 10, 2020
A new report from Shorenstein Center Fellow Ann Cooper describes the origins and evolution of independent media in Russia from the late Soviet era to...
Discussion Papers, Disinformation, Policy & Issues, Public Interest Technology, Publications, Race & Gender, Technology,
Canaries in the Coal Mine: COVID-19 Misinformation and Black Communities
June 24, 2020
Even as Black people are disproportionately dying from the virus due to systemic racism, harmful inaccuracies about COVID-19 are metastasizing in Black...
Discussion Papers, News Business & Practice, Papers, Publications,
Building Compelling Value Propositions for Digital Media Subscriptions and Memberships
May 1, 2020
This is a student-authored paper which was written under the mentorship of Harvard Kennedy School faculty members. It has not undergone formal review and...
Business & Economics, Discussion Papers, Papers, Policy & Issues, Publications, Technology,
The Commercialization of Decision-Making: Towards a Regulatory Framework to Address Machine Bias over the Internet
April 24, 2020
This paper was originally published by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Dipayan Ghosh is a Shorenstein Fellow and co-director of the Center’s...
Discussion Papers, Local News, Media Business, News Business & Practice, Papers, Publications,
Preserving America’s Thought Leader Magazines
March 25, 2020
Heidi Legg is a long-time journalist who founded a digital local news startup, TheEditorial.com, before joining the Shorenstein Center as Director of Special...
Campaigns, Elections & Parties, Discussion Papers, Journalistic Practice, News Business & Practice, Papers, Public Interest Journalism, Publications,
Hanging by a Thread: Serialized Narratives in a Post-Factual Era
March 11, 2020
In today’s media saturated culture, storytelling itself has become the story. It’s a Choose Your Own Adventure moment, and the stories we choose - and...
Discussion Papers, Policy & Issues, Publications, Tech Policy,
Key Elements and Functions of a New Digital Regulatory Agency
February 12, 2020
This Policy Paper is part of the Digital Platforms & Democracy Project’s efforts to explain and disseminate ideas about regulation of major technology...
Discussion Papers, Journalistic Practice, Local News, Media Business, News Business & Practice, Papers, Publications,
Case Study: Mother Jones
December 9, 2019
Creating a Thriving Legacy News Magazine through Mission, Strategy, and Experimentation Case Study co-published by the Shorenstein Center on Media,...
Discussion Papers, Local News, Media Business, News Business & Practice, Publications,
Can Public Media Help Fix Market Failures in Local News?
December 4, 2019
The Public Media Merger project is taking an in-depth look at the public media/digital newsroom mergers across the country in the last decade, to understand...