Introducing the 2026-27 class of Shorenstein Fellows
Seth K. Goldman is Honors Associate Professor of Communication at University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he holds a joint appointment in the Department of Communication and Commonwealth Honors College. His research investigates the effects of mass media and political communication on stereotyping and prejudice, particularly around public opinion about race, gender, and sexuality.
Goldman is the author of The Obama Effect: How the 2008 Campaign Changed White Racial Attitudes (2014, Russell Sage Foundation), winner of the 2014 Frank Luther Mott-Kappa Tau Alpha Research Award for the best book on journalism/mass communication. His research has been published in academic journals such as the American Journal of Political Science, International Journal of Public Opinion Research, Journal of Politics, Political Communication, Political Psychology, and Public Opinion Quarterly. Financial support for his research has been provided by the Russell Sage Foundation, NSF-funded Time-Sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences (TESS), and the Face Value Project, funded by the Ford Foundation in partnership with the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University.
While a fellow at the Shorenstein Center, Goldman’s research will strive to answer the following question: Do media portrayals of minority groups suffering from bias, discrimination, and violence produce empathy, thus reducing prejudice and increasing support for minority rights? Or do victim narratives produce pity, thus increasing prejudice among majority group members and internalized stigma among minority group members?
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Learn how election officials are beginning to work with social media influencers and creators to provide accurate, accessible and engaging civic information.
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Zoom webinar
4:00 PM ET
Get an inside look at how U.S. elections work after voters cast their ballots and the processes that shape how votes are counted.
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Zoom webinar
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
Join Meghan O’Sullivan, Joe Pfeiffer, Admiral Mike Mullen, and Shorenstein Center Director Nancy Gibbs as they reflect on the legacy and lasting impact of the September 11 attacks, 25 years later.
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JFK Jr. Forum, Harvard Kennedy School
6:00 PM ET
Learn how demographic shifts in aging, migration, housing, and population are reshaping communities and state finances, and how to use the data to strengthen your reporting.
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Zoom webinar
2:00 PM ET
Discover the overlooked impacts of sports betting on college campuses and how to report on them with depth and context.
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Zoom webinar
July 28 - 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET
What are the sources of the unprecedented rise in U.S. government debt, and what are the impacts of high debt on government and society?
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Zoom webinar
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET
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Zoom Webinar
1:00 PM ET
An inside look at the rise, challenges, and lasting lessons of the UK’s landmark loneliness strategy — and what it reveals about building durable social change.
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Zoom webinar
9:00 AM ET
Join the winners of the 2026 Goldsmith Prize for Explanatory Reporting, for a behind-the-scenes conversation.
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Zoom webinar
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
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Zoom webinar
1:00 PM ET