Media & Politics Must Reads, January 15, 2016

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

Spring 2016 Joan Shorenstein Fellows. The Shorenstein Center announced the appointment of its spring 2016 fellows: Johanna Dunaway, associate professor of communication at Texas A&M University; Joanna Jolly, BBC South Asia editor; Dan Kennedy, author and associate professor of journalism at Northeastern University; and Marilyn Thompson, deputy editor at Politico. While at the Center, they will research issues such as the Latino vote, money in politics, and other timely topics. Read more about the fellows and the work they will do while at the Center.

News from Our Fellows

CBS News Announces Bob Schieffer to Contribute Political Commentary. Bob Schieffer, Walter Shorenstein Media and Democracy Fellow, will bring his keen perspective and political insights back to CBS News as an occasional contributor throughout the 2016 election season.

“I Can Think of Nothing as Unfair” in 30 Years of Covering Presidential Politics. Walter Shapiro, spring 2005 fellow and Roll Call columnist, reflects on the perils of “premature certainty” when predicting primary election outcomes, and critiques the media’s excessive coverage of Donald Trump.

From around the Web

How Much Influence Does the Media Really Have Over Elections? Digging Into the Data, from Nieman Lab.

Why Presidential Debates Need Real-Time Fact-Checking, from The Conversation.

The Secret to Live Fact-Checking? Be Very, Very Prepared, from Poynter.

Six of the Best and Worst Types of GOP Debate Questions Asked So Far, from Columbia Journalism Review.

NHPR Boosts Revamped Political Coverage with Launch of State Elections Database, from Current.

Keeping Reporters off the Senate Floor: The Latest Restriction on Press Access in Missouri, from Columbia Journalism Review.

Fifty Years of FOIA, from Nieman Reports.

House Votes to Strengthen Government Records Law, from Associated Press.

FCC to Vote on Ad Disclosure Rules before the Iowa Caucuses, from The Hill.

Reclaiming Spin, from Columbia Journalism Review.

With a New Podcast, The Huffington Post is Talking with Washington’s Biggest Failures, from Poynter.

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