Media & Politics Must Reads, January 13, 2017

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

Shorenstein Center Announces Spring 2017 Fellows. Adam J. Berinsky will research media and political polarization, Helen Boaden will examine the pressures facing public service broadcasters, Farai Chideya will write about race and gender in 2016’s political coverage, Zack Exley will write about media coverage of conservative Christians and secular progressives, Meighan Stone will focus on entrepreneurship, media and international refugee and migrant issues, and Rick Stengel will lead study groups on government and the press.

Fake news and the spread of misinformation, from Journalist’s Resource.

News from Our Faculty, Fellows and Students

Media Decisions on Reporting Claims About Trump Stir Controversy. Jeff Seglin, lecturer in public policy, director of the HKS Communications Program and faculty affiliate at the Shorenstein Center, weighs in on BuzzFeed’s decision to publish a document containing unsubstantiated claims about Donald Trump. “That does great damage to the media, and it raises suspicions in the minds of the readers and the viewers.”

Trump ‘compromising’ claims: How and why did we get here? Paul Wood, fall 2015 fellow, saw the allegations before the election, and reports on the fallout now they have come to light.

Trump’s Dismissal Of Intelligence Community Is “Madness,” Says National Security Expert Juliette Kayyem. Kayyem, who is the Belfer Lecturer in International Security and a faculty affiliate at the Shorenstein Center, expresses concern that Trump is undermining the intelligence community.

There are huge holes in how the U.S. states investigate politicians’ conflicts of interest. John Wihbey, consultant for Journalist’s Resource, analyzes state-level requirements for conflict of interest disclosures.

Liberals are reconsidering federalism in the wake of Trump. Renée Loth, fall 2011 fellow, writes about blue states that “are preparing rearguard actions against executive overreach.”

Seasons Greetings from Uncle Sam – Your Tax Dollars Made an Impact. HKS student Marie Lawrence argues that the U.S. federal government needs to better inform the public about its services and successes.

President Obama’s Farewell

How America Changed During Barack Obama’s Presidency, from Pew Research Center.
Obama’s right: in an age of unreality, democracy is in peril, from The Guardian.

Trump’s Press Conference, Russia and Journalism Ethics

Covering the New Administration

Views on Fake News

Fresh Ideas and Trends for 2017

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