“Unlocked: How Government Works” – new series to help news media demystify government

Center News, News, Public Interest Journalism, Unlocked / By

“Unlocked,” a new explanatory content series designed to make the inner workings of government more accessible to journalists, content creators, and others who report on the news, launched today as a joint project of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy and The Journalist’s Resource, a project of the center focused on informing […]

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Unlocked: How does hiring and firing work in the federal government?

Unlocked / By

Political appointees. Career civil servants. Special Government Employees. Classifications and procedures around federal government employment have rarely been in the ether as much as they have been in the early months of President Trump’s second term.  The Journalist’s Resource’s in-depth explainer about federal hiring and firing covers a lot of ground, including:    What are

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image showing the logo of the federal Department of Education building, with the title "What does the U.S. Department of Education do?". Clicking the image takes visitors to a landing page for this topic.

Unlocked: What does the U.S. Department of Education Do?

Unlocked / By

President Trump signed an executive order on March 20, 2025 which, among other things, vowed to close the Department of Education. One of the newest and smallest cabinet-level agencies, the Department of Education’s mandate and funding priorities are vastly misunderstood. The Journalist’s Resource published 8 tips for better understanding and reporting on the Department of

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Announcing the semifinalists for the Henry Awards for Public Interest Documentary

Center News, Documentary Film, News / By

The Documentary Film in the Public Interest Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy is excited to announce a new award for documentary film—The Henry Awards for Public Interest Documentary—and its first list of 15 semifinalists.   The Henry Awards recognize nonfiction films that advance public understanding of the

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Emmy award-winning visual storyteller Kira Pollack Joins Shorenstein Center as a fellow

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The Shorenstein Center welcomes leading photo editor and creative director Kira Pollack as a 2025 Walter Shorenstein Media & Democracy Fellow.  Pollack is known for pioneering innovative approaches to visual storytelling, harnessing emerging technologies, digital platforms, and multimedia to expand the possibilities of visual journalism in traditional media.   During her fellowship at the Shorenstein Center,

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Announcing the winner of the inaugural Goldsmith Prize for Explanatory Reporting

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The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy is pleased to announce that The Washington Post’s Opinions series “Who is Government?” is the winner of the inaugural Goldsmith Prize for Explanatory Reporting. The prize will be awarded at the 2025 Goldsmith Awards ceremony on April 3 at the JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard Kennedy

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Announcing the Finalists for the 2025 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting

News, Public Interest Journalism / By

The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School is proud to announce the six finalists for the 2025 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. The Goldsmith Prize, first awarded in 1993 and funded by a gift from the Greenfield Foundation, honors the best public service investigative journalism that has made an

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The National Security Imperative for the Modernization of Government Communication Structures

Discussion Papers, Publications / By

The views expressed in Shorenstein Center Discussion Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University or the organizations and institutions with whom the authors are affiliated. Discussion Papers have not undergone formal review and approval. Such papers are included in this series to elicit feedback

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Anderson Cooper to be honored with the 2025 Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism

News, Public Interest Journalism / By

Each year, the Shorenstein Center presents the Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism to recognize outstanding contributions to the field and honor work that has enriched our political discourse and our society. This year’s winner is Anderson Cooper, award-winning CNN anchor and CBS 60 Minutes correspondent. “Year after year, Anderson Cooper has navigated the

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Announcing the semifinalists for the 2025 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting

News, Public Interest Journalism / By

Our judging committee was tasked with reviewing over 120 entries for this year’s Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. The following semifinalists are the top 30 entries that our judges deemed to be of extremely high quality and in keeping with the Prize’s criteria for impact on US government, public policy, or the practice of politics.

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Announcing the Spring 2025 Shorenstein Fellows

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The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy is pleased to announce the Spring 2025 cohort of Shorenstein Fellows. Shorenstein Fellows join the center for a semester or year of research, events, and engagement with HKS students, faculty, and the wider university community. This semester’s fellows range from technologists and entrepreneurs to political strategists,

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Announcing Spring 2025 Cohort of Documentary Film Fellows

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The Shorenstein Center is proud to announce the Spring 2025 cohort of Documentary Film Fellows. The group joins the Center under the auspices of the Documentary Film in the Public Interest Initiative and will spend the semester conducting research and engaging with the HKS community about the challenges facing the field and its impact on

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The Future of Trustworthy Information: Learning from Online Content Creators

Discussion Papers, News Business & Practice, Public Interest Journalism, Publications / By

Journalism is facing a trust crisis. Audiences are increasingly skeptical that mainstream media serves their interests and are turning their attention away from traditional news outlets. Meanwhile, online content creators who engage in journalist-style work are building huge, loyal audiences that eclipse those of traditional media. Walter Shorenstein Fellow Julia Angwin, a longtime technology and investigative journalist, explains what journalists can learn from creators about building audience trust.

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Nominations now open for the 2025 Goldsmith Awards

Center News, News, Prizes & Lectures, Public Interest Journalism / By

Submissions are now being accepted for the 2025 Goldsmith Awards, including the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting, the Goldsmith Book Prize, and the brand new Goldsmith Prize for Explanatory Reporting. The Goldsmith Awards Program, launched in 1991, has as its goal the encouragement of a more insightful and spirited public debate about government, politics and

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US Independent Film Audience and Landscape Study

Discussion Papers, Media Business, Publications / By

Independent films illuminate untold stories, spark discourse, and broaden our perspectives – but independent film in the United States is at risk. In this groundbreaking new research, film industry leader Keri Putnam brings new data together to analyze the overall audience for independent film and the collapse of the financial model driven by the streaming economy, and offers recommendations and opportunities for the future.

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Karen Chien, a woman of Asian descent with long dark hair streaked with gray and gold

Shorenstein Documentary Film Fellow Karin Chien shares 5 key takeaways from her research on business models

Documentary Film, Documentary Film in the Public Interest, News / By

As a Documentary Film in the Public Interest Fellow (Spring ’24), Karin Chien’s research focused on how the most impactful documentary projects get funded, and presented recommendations for new economic models that center sustainability and creative risk.

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The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy is a Harvard Kennedy School research center dedicated to exploring and illuminating the intersection of press, politics and public policy in theory and practice. The Center strives to bridge the gap between journalists and scholars, and between them and the public.

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