A paper by Charlotte Grimes, spring 1998 fellow, asks whether citizen journalism is living up to its promises. Grimes provides a history of the rise of civic journalism that raises many questions about both its aims and its successes, and whether there is benefit in supplanting traditional tools and processes with newer ones. She notes […]
Whither the Civic Journalism Bandwagon? Read More »
Richard Sobel, fall 1996 fellow, compares the disparity between public support for intervention in Bosnia as expressed in polls, and the limited reporting of those opinions in U.S. media and political discussions. Sobel hypothesizes that the press did not fully portray evidence of support because of the post-Vietnam syndrome, the intensity of the opposition, the
Portraying American Public Opinion toward the Bosnia Crisis (abstract) Read More »
Alexis Sinduhije, fall 1997 fellow, writes about the harrowing experience of practicing journalism in central Africa during the Rwandan Genocide. From 1993 to 1997, Sinduhije covered the violence around him, searching for ways that journalism could help stem the bloodshed, while striving to report the news objectively – even after the murder of his own
Ijambo: Speaking Truth amidst Genocide Read More »
A paper by Nachman Shai, fall 1996 fellow, builds a case for the proposition that “truth” rather than “spin” is the basis of effective public information efforts, even when a nation is at war. Shai focuses on the turbulent decade in Israeli life that begins with the Lebanon War (1982) and ends with the Gulf
A paper by Moshe Negbi, fall 1997 fellow, explores the rise of “commercially-motivated censorship” in Israel’s media. Negbi argues that powerful private interests in Israel’s media companies have suppressed and distorted stories and opinions that were not to their liking, or that they perceived as detrimental to their interests and profits. The paper provides an
A paper by Kathleen E. Kendall, fall 1997 fellow, examines communication by candidates and the media in presidential primary elections. The presidential primaries are a twentieth century phenomenon which grew out of the late nineteenth century tradition of party primaries on the local level. They are distinctly different from general elections because they are multiple,
A paper by Zachary Karabell, fall 1997 fellow, traces the history of the broadcast presidential conventions and builds a case for the proposition that the parties and the networks together have brought the conventions to a low ebb that does a disservice to voters. Karabell describes three phases of the broadcast conventions: 1952–1968, when they
The Rise and Fall of the Televised Political Convention Read More »
A paper by Marvin Kalb, former Shorenstein Center director and veteran reporter, analyzes the press coverage in the first few weeks of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Kalb attempts to answer the question: what is wrong with American journalism? Why has it lost the trust and confidence of so many of its readers and viewers? He
The Rise of the New News: A Case Study of Two Root Causes of the Modern Scandal Coverage Read More »
A paper by Stephen J. Hutcheon, fall 1997 fellow, traces the history of press freedom in Hong Kong under British rule up to the aftermath of China’s takeover in 1997. Hutcheon analyzes the forces that could erode the freedom of the Hong Kong media and the counter forces that might help to protect press freedom.
Pressing Concerns: Hong Kong’s Media in an Era of Transition Read More »
A paper by Tim Cooke, spring 1998 fellow, examines the role of the news media in societies affected by violent conflict, in particular, Northern Ireland. As paramilitary groups responsible for 30 years of headlines moved into the political arena and Northern Ireland transitioned into peace, how did the country’s news media cover and frame the
A paper by Connie Chung, spring 1997 fellow, provides an insider’s account of a driving force in modern television news: the celebrity interview. Securing such an interview is highly competitive. Chung shows the techniques and strategies journalists use, and the role luck and circumstance sometimes play. Drawing on her own experience as well as that
The Business of Getting “The Get”: Nailing an Exclusive Interview in Prime Time Read More »
A paper by Sara Bentivegna, fall 1997 fellow, examines the concept of the public sphere within computer mediated communication. The particular focus is on communication produced by citizens who take part in news groups of a political nature. These news groups consist of people who discuss, via computer, relevant events of political life. Particularly active
Talking Politics on the Net Read More »
A paper by Lisa Bennett, spring 1998 fellow, argues that although media coverage of gays and lesbians has improved in recent decades, coverage in the 1990s continued to include distorted and negative allegations. When journalists first came to the story of homosexuality at the end of World War II, the stigma surrounding the subject was
A paper by Jeff Trimble, fall 1991 fellow, analyzes how the Russian KGB dramatically transformed its image over time. The KGB, under different sets of initials, evoked frightening memories of the Soviet period of Russian history. Millions were herded into the communist version of concentration camps, transported to Siberia, or executed for having the wrong
Spreading the Word: The KGB’s Image-Building Under Gorbachev Read More »
A paper by Margaret Scammell, spring 1996 fellow, explores the export of the American political campaign. Democratic campaigns around the globe have seen an increase in “professionalization” of communication, which Scammell examines critically. She also investigates the sources of ideas and influences which underpin U.S. campaigning rationale – why do campaigners behave as they do?
The Wisdom of the War Room: U.S. Campaigning and Americanization Read More »
Richard Parker, Lecturer in Public Policy, writes about the need for a new way of reporting on economic issues – one that better incorporates the public. Parker argues that even the clearest statement of what economists know about policy, written by journalists who are as well trained in economics, might still not penetrate the public’s
A paper by Steven Livingston, spring 1996 fellow, examines the “CNN effect,” or the concept that global, real-time media affects the conduct of U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy. Livingston first seeks to clarify what exactly is meant by the CNN effect. He then distinguishes different types of foreign policies, with different means, potential, costs (measured
A paper by William John Fox, spring 1995 fellow, argues that Canada’s public broadcasting network has declined in quality after succumbing to commercial pressures to alter its programming in the 1980s. He details the network’s election coverage, demonstrating that serious public policy has given way to “horse-race” coverage, failing the network’s mission and audience. Download
A paper by James Carroll, spring 1997 fellow, examines press coverage of the Holocaust between l995-1997. More than 600 stories appeared in The New York Times in this brief period, about one a day. Thousands of others have appeared in other American media. Whether the stories have focused on Swiss banks, plundered artwork, or Madeleine
Shoah in the News: Patterns and Meanings of News Coverage of the Holocaust Read More »
Racial and ethnic diversity in the American press is a long standing concern. This Shorenstein Center report concludes that while much research has been done and the objectives are clear, there are numerous obstacles to implementation. Under-representation of minorities is a pervasive problem in all of America’s elite professions, including the press. Affirmative action programs
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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