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
A paper by Claude Moisy, spring 1995 fellow, asks whether the Internet is likely to improve the flow of international news, make the public more aware of world problems and, consequently, contribute to their solution. To address these questions, Moisy looks at the “information revolution” as it unfolded in the 1990s, examining the production and
The Foreign News Flow in the Information Age Read More »
A paper by Barrie Dunsmore, fall 1995 fellow, explores the questions that arise from the possibility of live television coverage from the battlefield. What are its likely military consequences? Does it actually threaten operational security? Could it affect or change the outcome of a battle or even the war? What are its political consequences? What
The Next War: Live? Read More »
A paper by Carol B. Conaway, fall 1994 fellow, examines the media coverage of the 1991 Crown Heights riot, which was sparked when two Caribbean-American children were struck by an automobile in the motorcade of a Jewish sect leader. Conaway asks: How did the press frame the antagonists and the conflict that occurred in Crown
Framing Identity: The Press in Crown Heights Read More »
A paper by Bernard Margueritte, fall 1993 fellow, surveys the state of the press in Eastern Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain. With weak training and standards, intense competition, and an invasion of Western investors, managers and press models, Eastern European media outlets faced numerous challenges. Attempts at serious journalism competed against sensationalist
Post-Communist Eastern Europe: The Difficult Birth of a Free Press Read More »
A paper by Michael Milburn, spring 1993 fellow, and Justin Brown, analyzes the impact of media outlets’ “Adwatch” features in the 1992 election. Partly in response to the highly emotional negative ad campaign against Michael Dukakis in 1988 masterminded by Roger Ailes, many television stations and newspapers developed “Adwatch” features designed to educate viewers/readers about
A paper by Adeyinka Adeyemi, fall 1993 fellow, analyzes Nigeria’s media landscape and finds that despite outward signs of a modern and vibrant press/government relationship, the country’s press is still not truly free. Adeyemi traces the oscillation between subtle and unsubtle forms of coercion and cooptation used by a series of military governments since the
A paper by Alison Carper, spring 1994 fellow, responds to the increasing use of reader surveys and focus groups in journalism. She argues that this approach brings with it the risks of majoritarianism. Carper asks whether a press that takes its agendas from reader surveys and focus groups is a press that is truly fulfilling
A paper by Jorge Quiroga, fall 1993 fellow, examines press coverage of the Hispanic community in the United States. Quiroga argues that the press serves as a gatekeeper, denying members of the Hispanic community full membership in the American political and social community. He describes how media coverage of Hispanic issues is frequently inadequate, with
Hispanic Voices: Is the Press Listening? 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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