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
Report on Network Sunday Morning Talk Show Content and Ratings, Comparing 1983, 1999, and 2015. A new report by Matthew A. Baum, Kalb Professor of Global Communication, finds that Sunday morning TV news shows (Meet the Press, Face the Nation, and This Week) still matter – they influence the national news agenda. But, they could also stand to increase their policy coverage, and the political and racial diversity of guests. Read the report.
Are Democracies in Peril? Nicco Mele, Shorenstein Center director, moderated a panel discussion with HKS faculty, including Khalil G. Muhammad, Professor of History, Race, and Public Policy and Shorenstein Center faculty affiliate. Read a summary in The Harvard Crimson, and watch the video.
Resources for covering hurricanes. Relevant research from Journalist’s Resource.
News from Faculty, Fellows and Students
Trump’s Global Democracy Retreat. Pippa Norris, Paul F. McGuire Lecturer in Comparative Politics, writes that “Under the leadership of Donald Trump and Rex Tillerson, the State Department is considering a mission reform that includes the abandonment of democratic assistance and human rights.”
My Money’s on Texas. Bob Schieffer, Walter Shorenstein Media and Democracy fellow in 2015-2016, recounts his experience with past hurricanes, and expresses his hope that Harvey will bring out the best in people.
Under Trump, health reporters confront an information blockade. Trudy Lieberman, spring 2001 fellow, writes that journalists are frustrated “by a lack of information from Trump administration health agencies, by their insufficient responses to those questions that do get answers, and by demands from HHS officials to change stories that have already been published.”
Why We Should Put Women on Pedestals. Julia Baird, spring 2005 fellow, writes that in the U.S., “less than 8 percent of public statues are female. Nine of 411 national parks are dedicated to women’s history. Which is why women have been stealthily gathering funds to break through the ‘bronze ceiling’ and place statues of women in busy public spaces.”
Interview with Governor Michael Dukakis: Shifting Racial Attitudes, Grassroots Organizing, and Public Service. HKS student James Pagano spoke with Dukakis for the Kennedy School Review.
Fake News and Facts
- Why do hoaxes go viral during natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey? From The Verge.
- Don’t give up on the fact-resistant: Tips to break the grip of misinformation, from American Press Institute.
- How To Detect Fake News With These Tools and Techniques, from MediaShift.
- Facebook undermines its own effort to fight fake news, from
Media Business and Online News
- Are nonprofit news sites just creating more content for elites who already read a lot of news? From Nieman Lab.
- The Schools of Journalism: Digital Optimists vs. Digital Pessimists, from MediaShift.
- Americans’ online news use is closing in on TV news use, from Pew Research Center.
Social Media and Tech
- News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2017, from Pew Research Center.
- Russian firm tied to pro-Kremlin propaganda advertised on Facebook during election, from The Washington Post.
- The Rise of the Twitter Thread, from Politico Magazine.
- Silicon Valley’s Politics: Liberal, With One Big Exception, from The New York Times.
Partisan Media
