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.
This Week at the Shorenstein Center
E.J. Dionne, Jr. on One Nation After Trump, Media, the Economy, and Progressivism. E.J. Dionne, Jr., political writer for The Washington Post, and William H. Bloomberg Visiting Professor, discussed his forthcoming book, One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet Deported, co-authored by Norman J. Ornstein and Thomas E. Mann. During his talk at the Shorenstein Center, Dionne also covered the media’s performance during the 2016 election, divides in American society, and how the media and progressives can move forward. Read highlights and listen to audio.
DACA, the DREAM Act and undocumented immigrants: A primer for journalists, from Journalist’s Resource.
News from Faculty and Fellows
How 9/11 Permanently Changed Us. Walter Shapiro, spring 2005 fellow, argues that “16 years later, things do appear normal on the surface…But the fears of terrorism have left a permanent imprint on our psyches.”
In Marking the Memory of 9/11 Consider the Meaning of an Iconic Day. Richard Parker, Lecturer in Public Policy, spoke at the Morning Prayers at Harvard’s Memorial Church, and asked the audience to think about “our shared collective self,” America’s place in the world, and its role in conflicts across the globe.
Swap DACA for Wall Funding? No Way! Michael Tomasky, spring 2013 fellow, writes that “The simple fact is that voters support the ‘liberal’ position on DACA,” and that “Americans do not support a border wall.” He argues that if Democrats concede, they will alienate their base ahead of the midterm election.
Hope Hicks: How will new communications chief handle the president? Tara McKelvey, fall 2012 fellow, writes that “The communications office of the Trump campaign was staffed by Hope Hicks, the press secretary – and it was a disaster,” but that “she has something valuable – the president’s trust.”
CDC official sends troubling message to employees about media questions. Trudy Lieberman, spring 2001 fellow, writes about the CDC’s recent message to employees, which instructed them to not speak to the press.
Hurricane TV: Wind, rain and self-immolation won’t buy love for journalists. Melinda Henneberger, spring 2013 fellow, writes that “all this getting blown around needlessly cheapens the very real, absolutely necessary and very much worth it risks that journalists take all over the world every day to report news we couldn’t get any other way.”
Debunking Study Suggests Ways to Counter Misinformation and Correct ‘Fake News.’ An extensive new meta-analysis of laboratory debunking studies, co-authored by current Joan Shorenstein Fellow Kathleen Hall Jamieson.
Selective Exposure to Balanced Content and Evidence Type: The Case of Issue and Non-Issue Publics About Climate Change and Health Care. A recent study co-authored by current Joan Shorenstein Fellow Claes de Vrees.
Reporting on Irma
- As Irma’s Winds Rise, So Does a Debate Over TV Storm Reporting, from The New York Times.
- When the newsroom has to evacuate, from Poynter.
Media and Politics Research
- How People Approach Facts and Information, from Pew Research Center.
- Tagging fake news on Facebook doesn’t work, study says, from
- Americans Are Poorly Informed About Basic Constitutional Provisions, from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Tech and Politics
- There’s Blood In The Water In Silicon Valley: The bad new politics of big tech. From BuzzFeed News.
- Conservatives, liberals unite against Silicon Valley, from
- Help Us Monitor Political Ads Online: ProPublica launches a “PAC” to scrutinize campaign ads on Facebook, from ProPublica.
- Facebook’s role in Trump’s win is clear. No matter what Mark Zuckerberg says. From The Washington Post.
- Technology companies should publish political advertising files online, from Sunlight Foundation.
News Business
- Small pieces, loosely joined (oh, and a new iPhone): These are today’s key Apple updates for publishers, from Nieman Lab.
- Facebook will ban monetizing on violence and tragedy, even for news and awareness, from The Verge.
- REPORT: People are ditching cable at a faster clip than previously thought, from Business Insider.
- Norm Pearlstine: ‘It’s not yet clear what people will pay for.’ From Digiday.
- Rupert Murdoch is giving college newspapers their own media empire, from Quartz.
Conservative Media
- Sinclair Broadcast launches national investigative team, from The Baltimore Sun.
- Breitbart Goes to War for Steve Bannon, from Newsweek.
