Policy & Issues Research
Report on Network Sunday Morning Talk Show Content and Ratings, Comparing 1983, 1999, and 2015
September 6, 2017, 8:40 amBy Matthew A. Baum, Kalb Professor of Global Communication
Executive Summary We studied the content and Nielsen ratings for interviews on the three network Sunday morning talk shows—Meet the Press (henceforth MTP), Face the Nation (FTN), and This Week (TW). We compared three time periods—1983 (MTP, FTN), 1999 (all…
Environmental Justice? Unjust Coverage of the Flint Water Crisis
July 11, 2017, 8:30 amBy Derrick Z. Jackson, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (fall 2016), Boston Globe essayist, climate and energy writer for the Union of Concerned Scientists
A new paper by Derrick Z. Jackson, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (fall 2016), Boston Globe essayist, and a climate and energy writer for the Union of Concerned Scientists, examines the failure of national media outlets to respond to the Flint water crisis…
Snake and Stranger: Media Coverage of Muslims and Refugee Policy
June 22, 2017, 8:15 amBy Meighan Stone, Entrepreneurship Fellow, spring 2017, and former president of the Malala Fund
Photo: Dulles International Airport travel ban protest, Geoff Livingston. A new paper by Meighan Stone, Entrepreneurship Fellow (spring 2017) and former president of the Malala Fund, argues that the predominantly negative coverage of Muslims and refugees on U.S. TV news contributes to negative…
How Women Journalists Are Silenced in a Man’s World: The Double-Edged Sword of Reporting from Muslim Countries
June 19, 2017, 8:15 amYeganeh Rezaian, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (fall 2016) and
Iranian journalist, formerly of Bloomberg News and The National
Photo: Shifa Gardi, a journalist for an Iraqi Kurdish television station, was killed by a roadside bomb while reporting. A new paper by Yeganeh Rezaian, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (fall 2016) and Iranian journalist, shines a light on the difficulties women reporters…
Rape Culture in India: The Role of the English-Language Press
July 20, 2016, 8:30 amBy Joanna Jolly with additional reporting by Uzra Khan
A new paper by Joanna Jolly, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (spring 2016) and former BBC South Asia editor, examines the increased coverage of rape in India’s English-language newspapers following the infamous 2012 gang rape in Delhi, and whether this coverage led to…
The Pen and the Sword: Reporting ISIS
July 5, 2016, 6:00 amBy Paul Wood
A new paper by Paul Wood, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (fall 2015) and BBC world affairs correspondent, tells the harrowing story of a kidnapping by ISIS, and examines the ethical dilemmas that arise when reporting on terrorist organizations. Between November 2012 and…
The United States and the European Refugee Crisis: Standing with Allies
May 4, 2016, 4:30 pmBy Michael Ignatieff, Juliette Keeley, Betsy Ribble and Keith McCammon
Executive Summary The US-European relationship remains a cornerstone of American security and prosperity. It is never in America’s interest to remain a bystander when Europe’s cohesion is under threat. The refugee crisis in Europe is such a threat. This report…
The United States and the Syrian Refugee Crisis: A Plan of Action
January 27, 2016, 3:00 pmBy Michael Ignatieff, Rana Abdelhamid, Juliette Keeley, Lina Dakheel, Merissa Khurma, Rihab Elhaj, Alex Maza, Nikola Ilic, Betsy Ribble, Uran Ismaili, Shannon Thomas and Brynna Quillin
A new white paper by Michael Ignatieff, Edward R. Murrow Professor of Press, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center, and Harvard students, argues that it is in America’s national interest to help Europe manage and overcome the refugee crisis…
The Persistent Advocate: The New York Times’ Editorials and the Normalization of U.S. Ties with Cuba
December 16, 2015, 7:00 amBy Marie Sanz
A paper by Marie Sanz, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (fall 2015) and senior correspondent for Agence France Presse, examines The New York Times’ editorials on U.S.-Cuba relations over the past five decades, and the role of the press in the restoration…
Exporting the First Amendment: Strengthening U.S. Soft Power through Journalism
December 14, 2015, 12:00 pmBy David Ensor
A paper by David Ensor, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (fall 2015) and former director of the Voice of America (VOA), makes the case for protecting and strengthening VOA as an independent journalistic voice in order to increase American soft power. VOA’s…