A paper by Richard Schultz, spring 2005 fellow, analyzes the debate surrounding the FCC’s Diversity Index and explores the question of how to best measure media diversity. Given the centrality of media diversity as a longstanding policy goal of the FCC, the question of what constitutes diversity must be at the heart of any attempt […]
Measuring Media Diversity: Problems and Prospects Read More »
Alex Sanders, fall 2004 fellow, writes about his run for the Senate, as a Democratic nominee from South Carolina to succeed J. Strom Thurmond, and recounts his experience – mostly positive – with handling the press. The paper also draws some larger conclusions about the relationship of reporters and politicians, and the implications for democracy.
A paper by David Rohde, spring 2005 fellow, examines American efforts to create a vibrant free press in Iraq and Afghanistan. A $200 million project in Iraq was the largest attempt ever by the United States, or any country, to help create independent media in another nation. Run by the Pentagon, it was a near
A paper by Martin F. Nolan, fall 2004 fellow, explores President Nixon’s antagonistic relationship with the press. He argues that Nixon sought to disarm his critics by changing “the press,” a Constitutionally protected form of expression, into “the media,” a pejorative – and succeeded. Download the paper (PDF).
Orwell Meets Nixon: When and Why “The Press” Became “The Media” Read More »
A paper by Seth Mnookin, spring 2004 fellow, examines the making and results of The New York Times’ Jayson Blair Report. The report helped demonstrate The New York Times’ power to shape the national news agenda, argues Mnookin, and in doing so, helped codify the way in which newspapers were expected to respond to accusations
A paper by Jacqueline Jones, fall 2004 fellow, examines whether the reelection of President George W. Bush left the alliance between the U.S. and Europe stronger or shattered. There was a huge appetite in European newspapers for stories on the U.S. election, with the European press heavily favoring Kerry – and the significance of the
December 1, 2004 — William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, delivered the 15th-annual Theodore H. White Lecture on Press and Politics, sponsored by the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. Mr. Kristol addressed “The Meaning of the 2004 Election,” and commented on the impact of the presidential race and the challenges
William Kristol delivers 2004 Theodore H. White lecture Read More »
November 9, 2004 — The sixth conference of the Trotter Group was sponsored by the Shorenstein Center and held at Harvard immediately after the November election. Attendees discussed issues ranging from the “No Child Left Behind” policy, the threat of nuclear terrorism and the recent election, to concerns over growing rates of obesity. While many
Black newspaper columnists look at the next fours years Read More »
July 25 and August 28, 2004 — Since 1992, the Shorenstein Center has sponsored a brunch and panel discussion prior to the start of the national political conventions. In 2004, the Center was delighted to host one of these events “at home” in the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard on the Sunday before
Shorenstein Center hosts national convention events Read More »
March 17, 2004 —The $25,000 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting has been awarded to the New York Times and Frontline by the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy for their award-winning investigative report “Dangerous Business: When Workers Die.” The Shorenstein Center is part of the John F. Kennedy School of Government
‘Dangerous Business’ wins 2004 Goldsmith reporting prize Read More »
A paper by Narasimhan Ravi, spring 2004 fellow, argues that the Iraq war was an unequal conflict not just in terms of the overwhelming superiority of the American, British and other coalition forces, but also because much of the information was controlled by the coalition. This paper examines the press coverage of the Iraq war
A paper by Rebecca MacKinnon, spring 2004 fellow, explores how – and to what extent – the Internet and new interactive forms of online media might provide solutions to serious problems in the media, such as lack of international news in the mainstream media, lack of incentives for commercially-driven media outlets to provide international news,
The World-Wide Conversation: Online Participatory Media and International News Read More »
A paper by Ingrid A. Lehmann, spring 2004 fellow, explores the role of the media in the weakening bond between the United States and Western European countries in the wake of events in Iraq, and the divergence of public opinion about the war between the U.S. and Germany. Were the differing public perceptions of the
A paper by Regina G. Lawrence, fall 2003 fellow, assesses the framing of obesity in news coverage since 1985 to determine whether obesity is being reframed as a systemic problem, rather than a personal one. The data suggest that a vigorous frame contest is currently under way between arguments emphasizing personal responsibility for health and
Framing Obesity: The Evolution of News Discourse on a Public Health Issue Read More »
A paper by Tomáš P. Klvaňa, fall 2003 fellow, argues that the Czech Republic’s democracy is underperforming, and Czech media are a significant contributor to the problem. Formerly serious Czech journalism has moved into infotainment, and is influenced by the nostalgia for communist times, flattening public life and creating stale discourse. Klvaňa asserts that the
A paper by Ted Gup, fall 2003 fellow, examines how the U.S. press fared in covering the intelligence community before and after two catastrophic intelligence failures—9/11 and the yet-to-be-found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. It also explores the obstacles journalists now face and what the stakes are. At no time has covering the intelligence
Covering the CIA in Times of Crisis: Obstacles and Strategies Read More »
This pamphlet by Thomas Patterson, Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at the Shorenstein Center, contains ideas for strengthening election night telecasts. The recommendations were developed in consultation with television executives and journalists, by examining the internal reviews that the networks themselves conducted after their election night broadcasts of 2000, and through a systematic
Eleven Recommendations for Improving Election Night Coverage Read More »
A report by Thomas Patterson, Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at the Shorenstein Center, examines how the use of exit polling and projections of winners by major broadcast networks has changed over time. Patterson finds that although not “deeply flawed,” the potential of election night telecasts has not been fully realized. He provides
Diminishing Returns: A Comparison of the 1968 and 2000 Election Night Broadcasts Read More »
October 28, 2003 — Robert A. Caro, biographer and Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Power Broker and Master of the Senate delivered the 2004 Theodore H. White Lecture in the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum. His lecture was titled “Lyndon Johnson: Personality and Power.” The following morning Caro joined a panel of prominent media
Robert A. Caro delivers 2003 Theodore H. White lecture Read More »
April 15, 2003 —On Tuesday, April 15, 2003, the Shorenstein Center co-sponsored a conference on corporate social responsibility in New York City. This nonpartisan conference brought together top business leaders, elected officials, investors, and academic representatives to discuss how to promote better corporate accountability and transparency and how to restore confidence in our institutions and
Shorenstein Center hosts corporate responsibility conference Read More »
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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