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.
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...
December 3, 2019
The Commons is a prototype of an imagined news outlet covering U.S. politics. It is the product of an eight-week discussion workshop this fall at...
July 3, 2019
Local journalism is in crisis, off and online. Years of downsizing in the face of digital disruption have weakened regional and local news organizations....
June 3, 2019
The decline of the legacy media started long before the Internet, but the Internet exposed a business model that relied too heavily on the wrong customers....
Discussion Papers,
Disinformation,
International Affairs,
Journalistic Practice,
Papers,
Publications,
War, Defense & Security,
May 14, 2019
The New Media Propaganda Wars and the Value of a Second Draft
Read the paper
A new paper by James Harkin, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (Fall, 2018) and...
Discussion Papers,
Media Business,
News Business & Practice,
Papers,
Public Interest Journalism,
Publications,
April 29, 2019
Every era and every new medium — print, radio, television, cable, and the Internet — has found news essential to building and keeping audience. What does...
April 18, 2019
By Roderick P. Hart, Fall 2018 Shorenstein Fellow
and Shivers Chair in Communication and Professor of Government, University of Texas at Austin
This essay...
Discussion Papers,
Domestic Affairs,
Government Institutions,
Papers,
Policy & Issues,
Politics & Government,
Public Interest Technology,
Publications,
Race & Gender,
April 1, 2019
With trust in federal government and institutions at historic lows, local governments, including cities and counties, must play a critical role in the...
Business & Economics,
Discussion Papers,
International Affairs,
Media Business,
News Business & Practice,
Papers,
Policy & Issues,
Public Interest Technology,
Publications,
Technology,
March 5, 2019
Internet access is coming to the other half of the planet through rapid expansion of broadband technologies. Media organizations that recognize the speed...
Discussion Papers,
Journalistic Practice,
Local News,
News Business & Practice,
Papers,
Publications,
February 12, 2019
The growing crisis in U.S. local news is making it increasingly urgent that local television outlets both improve the quality of news produced and chart...
Business & Economics,
Discussion Papers,
Media Business,
News Business & Practice,
Papers,
Publications,
September 6, 2018
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...
Campaigns, Elections & Parties,
Discussion Papers,
Papers,
Politics & Government,
Publications,
Technology,
May 7, 2018
A new paper by Donna Brazile, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (fall 2017) and former Democratic National Committee interim chair, examines whether political campaigns...
