Publications
The Shorenstein Center publishes reports and papers written by fellows and affiliated researchers and faculty that examine themes associated with press, media, politics and the making of public policy.
Papers by former fellows have added significantly to the body of research on press and politics. The Shorenstein Center has had more than 300 Fellows since 1986, and nearly all of the papers they wrote at the Center can be found in our Research Archives.
For information about our current research projects, which are large-scale research endeavors lead by resident scholars and faculty at the Center, visit the Research Areas of Focus section of our website.
You can also learn about our current fellows and affiliated faculty to learn more about the independent research happening at the Center.
How Voters Construct Images of Political Candidates: The Role of Political Advertising and Televised News
A paper by Montague Kern, spring 1992 fellow, and Marion Just, professor at Wellesley College, investigates the role of news and advertising in influencing public discourse about campaign issues, and in turn, candidates. The extent to which public discourse during…
TV Violence, Children and the Press: Eight Rationales Inhibiting Public Policy Debates
A paper by Sissela Bok, spring 1993 fellow, applies the perspective of philosopher and social critic to analyze public policy debates in the press about violent television. Bok exposes the weaknesses of eight common arguments: 1. America has always been…
Real-Time Television Coverage of Armed Conflicts and Diplomatic Crises: Does It Pressure or Distort Foreign Policy Decisions?
A paper by Nik Gowing, spring 1994 fellow, challenges the idea that real-time television coverage of armed conflicts impact foreign policy decisions. Conventional wisdom is that real-time television coverage creates a demand that “something must be done” and drives the…
Shadowboxing with Stereotypes: The Press, The Public, and the Candidates’ Wives
A paper by Karlyn Kohrs Campbell, fall 1992 fellow, analyzes media coverage of the presidential and vice presidential candidates’ wives during the 1992 election. Campbell examines some of the major influences on coverage of Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, Tipper Gore,…
The Role of the News Media in Unequal Political Conflicts: From the Intifada to the Gulf War and Back Again
A paper by Gadi Wolfsfeld, fall 1992 fellow, develops and applies a theoretical model to analyze the role of the news media in political conflicts, particularly unequal conflicts in the Middle East. Under what conditions are the news media most…
When Policy Fails: How the Buck Was Passed When Kuwait Was Invaded
A paper by Bernard Roshco, spring 1992 fellow, analyzes the failures of the Bush administration’s policies toward Iraq prior to the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and the failings of the press in reporting on them. Roshco explores numerous questions….
Two Commanders-in-Chief: Free Expression’s Most Severe Test
A paper by Betty Houchin Winfield, spring 1991 fellow, examines free speech and press freedom in the U.S. during wartime. If wartime governments are more autocratic, writes Winfield, then it is assumed that presidents will take a more authoritative stance…
The American Pattern of Freedom of the Press: A Model to Follow?
A paper by Santiago Sanchez Gonzalez, fall 1991 fellow, takes a close look at press freedom as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Gonzalez argues that freedom of the press is as much about freedom to as about freedom from, and…
The Nixon Memo
This paper by Marvin Kalb, Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice Emeritus, was first presented as the keynote address at the Shorenstein Center’s fifth anniversary celebration. He discussed President Nixon’s complicated relationship with the press, focusing on a memo Nixon…
An Economic Theory of Learning from News
A paper by Marion Just, professor at Wellesley College; W. Russell Neuman, professor at University of Michigan; and Ann Crigler, fall 1991 fellow, explores an economic approach to understanding how people select, pay attention to, and learn from news stories….
