Our weekly roundup of news found at the intersection of media, politics, policy and technology, from the Shorenstein Center and from around the web.
This Week at the Shorenstein Center
Media and Politics Podcast Launch. Tune in to our new, bi-weekly podcast. Each episode will focus on a specific theme, drawn from talks by visiting journalists and political experts, interviews with our fellows, and more. The first episode is “Behind the Rise of Buzzfeed,” with Miriam Elder and Ben Smith. Listen on iTunes, Soundcloud, or Stitcher.
Racial Bias and News Media Reporting: New Research Trends, from Journalist’s Resource.
David Sanger: Covering Cyberwar. On May 19, six Chinese men were indicted for theft of code from U.S. companies. In March, David Sanger of The New York Times discussed considerations for covering cyberwar and cyberattacks. Read a summary and listen to his talk.
News from Our Faculty and Fellows
For Kennedy School Journals, Policy Beyond the Classroom. Richard Parker, Lecturer in Public Policy and adviser for the Kennedy School’s student-run policy journals, was interviewed by Harvard Magazine about the role of the journals in connecting students with politicians, journalists, and community leaders.
HKS PolicyCast Podcast: A Wholesale and Retail Approach to Digital Government. Nick Sinai, Walter Shorenstein Media & Democracy Fellow, discussed the effort the Obama administration has put into modernizing the federal government’s digital services, both by opening up data to public and private groups, as well as to individual citizens by creating online portals to access government services.
John Kerry on the Importance of an Open-ish Internet. David Weinberger, Joan Shorenstein Fellow, reacts to Secretary of State John Kerry’s May 18 speech on cybersecurity.
Building a Smarter Future for Cities. Susan Crawford, former Shorenstein Center visiting professor and current Harvard Law School professor, discussed how data can improve life in cities and increase government transparency at the Knight Foundation’s Media Learning Seminar 2015. Read a summary of her talk and watch the video on the Knight Foundation website.
From around the Web
The Right Baits the Left to Turn Against Hillary Clinton. The New York Times covers social media tactics used by conservative PACs.
Covering Campaigns: A Conference for Journalists Reporting on the 2016 Presidential Election. Videos from sessions held earlier this month by the Nieman Foundation and The University of Chicago Institute of Politics cover a range of topics, from audience engagement to following the money.
Why Philly.com Partnered with 7 Other Organizations to Create the Ultimate Primary Election Site, from Poynter.
How to Cover the ’16 Campaign: Follow the Money, but Few Are, Says One Reporter, from Poynter.
More Americans Are Using Social Media to Connect with Politicians, from Pew Research Center.
Barack Obama is on Twitter, Here’s Why It Matters, from Backchannel.
Drawing the Line: Cartoonists Under Threat. The Committee to Protect Journalists released a new report on the threats faced by political cartoonists around the world.
Politics of Fact-Checking Campaigns, from It’s All Journalism.
Lessons on Using WhatsApp for Publishing – an Election Experience, from Online Journalism Blog.
Open-Records Laws Could Get a Much-Needed Boost in Kansas, from Columbia Journalism Review.
Eyewitness Media and News: It’s Still a Wild West Out There, from BBC Academy.
Cheap and Fast, Online Voter Registration Catches On, from NPR.
Americans’ Attitudes about Privacy, Security and Surveillance, from Pew Research Center.
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