The Shorenstein Center

Team

Patricia Finneran

Fellowship

Term

Patricia Finneran is a leader in the documentary film and media impact community with a successful track record creating programs for organizations including AFI (Silverdocs), DocSociety, Good Pitch, Sundance, and IFP/New York. From 2022-24, she ran the StoryBoard Impact Fund in Geneva; her work increased awareness of impact distribution in Europe and supported more than 35 international filmmakers.

Patricia founded Story Matters to provide training and consulting services in documentary impact distribution, and work with nonprofit leaders to craft and activate strategies for organization advancement. She also frequently facilitates live programs and has worked with CPH DOX, DX Fest, FIFDH, IDFA, Movies that Matter, and more.

She holds a BA from Barnard College, Columbia University, is an AFI Producing alum, and completed National Arts Strategies Chief Executive and Ford JustFilms Rockwood Leadership programs. In addition to her research work at DFPI, upcoming projects include: co-creating Ireland’s first impact lab, launching director Neasa Ni Chianáin’s new climate-related feature, and Jonathan Stack’s new film SNIP TRIP.

While at Shorenstein, Patricia will look at how independent documentaries addressing climate change and fossil fuel extraction have affected interest in and the understanding of climate change issues, as measured by media impact data.

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2026 Goldsmith Awards Ceremony

2026 Goldsmith Awards Ceremony

A celebration of journalism and storytelling that impact public policy and the functioning of government.

Event

JFK Jr. Forum, 79 John F. Kennedy St., Cambridge, MA 02138
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Graphic featuring Jeffrey Goldberg with text reading “Goldsmith Awards — Jeffrey Goldberg, 2026 Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism.”
The Economic Consequences of the Iran War

The Economic Consequences of the Iran War

Join The Journalist’s Resource and EconoFact for an hour-long webinar on the current and potential economic consequences of the current war in Iran.

Event

Zoom Webinar
11:30 AM

an image of oil barrels, illustrating one of the economic consequences of the war in Iran, with the Shorenstein Center and Journalist's Resource logos in a bar at the top
Disagreeing Better in a Polarized World: A conversation with Julia Minson and Todd Rogers

Disagreeing Better in a Polarized World: A conversation with Julia Minson and Todd Rogers

This second event on Julia Minson’s new book, How to Disagree Better, will feature a fireside chat between Minson and fellow Harvard Kennedy School faculty member Todd Rogers exploring depolarization as a growing challenge, the promise of behavioral science approaches, and the difficulties of designing interventions that truly work.

 

Event

HKS campus, Taubman Building, Nye ABC
4:00 PM – 5:15 PM

Two people speaking at a Harvard Kennedy School event, one before a U.S. flag and one against a blue backdrop, with Shorenstein Center and BISG logos at the bottom.
Book Talk with Julia Minson (“How to Disagree Better”)

Book Talk with Julia Minson (“How to Disagree Better”)

Join decision scientist and Shorenstein Center resident faculty member Julia Minson for a conversation about her new book, How to Disagree Better, to learn evidence-based techniques on how to transform every disagreement into an opportunity for growth.

Event

Zoom Webinar
12:00 PM – 1:15 PM

Book cover of How to Disagree Better by Julia Minson beside a headshot of the author smiling in an indoor setting.
Theodore H. White Lecture on Press and Politics with Ken Burns

Theodore H. White Lecture on Press and Politics with Ken Burns

Attend the 2026 Theodore H. White Lecture on Press and Politics with preeminent documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. Shorenstein Center Director, Nancy Gibbs, will hold a fireside chat with Burns in the JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard Kennedy School.

Event

JFK Jr. Forum, HKS
6:00 PM

Photo of Ken Burns sitting in a rustic wood paneled space with an american flag in the background.