Our weekly roundup of news found at the intersection of media, politics, policy and technology, from the Shorenstein Center and from around the web. Sign up to receive Media and Politics Must Reads in your inbox each week. Also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook for more updates.
Recently at the Shorenstein Center
2018 Goldsmith Awards. The annual Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting was awarded to Nina Martin of ProPublica and Renee Montagne of NPR for their investigative reporting series “Lost Mothers.” Also at the awards ceremony, ABC’s Martha Raddatz received the Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism. Watch the video.
The ceremony was preceded by a panel discussion with the finalists, who discussed the making of their stories, which include coverage of the Russia investigation, injustice in the Chicago legal system, opioid addiction, sexual harassment and assault, and other pressing issues. Watch the video.
Media Expert Discusses Misinformation and Fake News. The Harvard Crimson covers a recent event with Kate Starbird, a University of Washington professor, who discussed the distribution of misinformation.
Work at the Shorenstein Center. Would you like to contribute to research and programming at the intersection of media, politics, policy, and technology? We’re hiring for multiple new positions.
News from Fellows
Drive them to a march. Buy their gas. Whatever it takes, support all kids marching today. Sarah Smarsh, Joan Shorenstein Fellow, writes, “As we support teenagers bravely speaking out from Parkland, let’s help the ones in less privileged places find microphones, too.”
#NEVERAGAIN: How Parkland Students are Changing the Conversation on Guns. Meighan Stone, spring 2017 fellow, will moderate a discussion with students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Tuesday, March 20. This event is ticketed, but will also be livestreamed.
As America Changes, Some Anxious Whites Feel Left Behind. Michele Norris, spring 2015 fellow, profiles white residents in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, who say they feel “outnumbered” as the town’s demographics change.
Guardians of the Newspaper Galaxy. The Boston Globe reviews a new book by Dan Kennedy, spring 2016 fellow, titled The Return of the Moguls: How Jeff Bezos and John Henry Are Remaking Newspapers for the Twenty-First Century. Kennedy’s book evolved from a paper he wrote at the Shorenstein Center.
Will the GOP Follow Trump Off the Cliff on Trade? Walter Shapiro, spring 2005 fellow, writes about President Trump’s recent decision on tariffs.
New Studies
- New report shows lack of progress for women of color in the media, from Poynter.
- Most major outlets have used Russian tweets as sources for partisan opinion: study, from Columbia Journalism Review.
Sunshine Week
- Sunshine Week brings Trump’s information darkness to light, from The Washington Post.
- US sets new record for censoring, withholding gov’t files, from Associated Press.
- SPJ, GAP launch ‘The Whistleblower Project,’ from Society of Professional Journalists.
Challenges Facing Tech
- YouTube, the Great Radicalizer, from The New York Times.
- The web can be weaponised – and we can’t count on big tech to stop it, from The Guardian.
Misinformation
- We need to get better at covering studies about fake news, from Poynter.
- ‘Fake news’ smear takes hold among politicians at all levels, from Associated Press.
- A guide to anti-misinformation actions around the world, from Poynter.
- YouTube will add information from Wikipedia to videos about conspiracies, from The Verge.
Tech Platforms and News
- Scoop: Facebook aiming to launch News for Watch this summer, from Axios.
- For News Publishers, Facebook is a Less Reliable Friend, from Wired.
- Google Will Prioritize Stories for Paying News Subscribers, from Bloomberg.
Conservative Media
- The Financial Whisperer to Trump’s America, from Politico Magazine.
- How Conservative Activists Catfished Twitter, from Gizmodo.
