Politics & Government Research
News Coverage of the 2016 Presidential Primaries: Horse Race Reporting Has Consequences
July 11, 2016, 6:00 amBy Thomas E. Patterson, Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press
A new report from Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy analyzes news coverage of the 2016 presidential primary races and how it affected the candidates’ chances of winning the nomination, concluding that coverage of the…
Pre-Primary News Coverage of the 2016 Presidential Race: Trump’s Rise, Sanders’ Emergence, Clinton’s Struggle
June 13, 2016, 6:00 amBy Thomas E. Patterson, Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press
A new report from Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy analyzes news coverage of the 2016 presidential candidates in the year leading up to the primaries. This crucial period, labeled “the invisible primary” by political…
The Dream is Dead: Can Taxpayer Money Save Presidential Campaigns?
May 27, 2016, 6:00 amBy Marilyn W. Thompson
A new paper by Marilyn W. Thompson, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (spring 2016) and former deputy editor of POLITICO, chronicles the rise and fall of the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, and explores whether the fund could still provide a viable way…
“They Don’t Give a Damn about Governing”
Conservative Media’s Influence on the Republican Party
July 27, 2015, 9:30 amBy Jackie Calmes
A paper by Jackie Calmes, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (Spring 2015) and national correspondent for The New York Times, examines the increasing influence of conservative media on the Republican Party’s agenda. Calmes traces the history of conservative media, from its founding…
The Press and Edward Kennedy: A Case Study of Journalistic Behavior
March 24, 2015, 4:22 pmBy Neal Gabler
A paper by Neal Gabler, former Joan Shorenstein Fellow (Fall 2011), author and film critic, examines the quantity and nature of media coverage of Edward Kennedy over the course of his political career. Gabler analyzed press coverage of Edward M….
A Letter to Journalists from a Former FCC Commissioner
February 20, 2014, 2:01 pmBy Michael Copps
Fall 2013 Fellow Michael Copps, former Federal Communications Commissioner, shares concerns and offers advice regarding government regulation of corporate media.
The Campaign Casino: Elections Have Become a Get-Rich-Quick Scheme, and the Press Is Missing the Story
February 19, 2014, 10:48 amBy Lee Aitken
Fall 2013 Fellow Lee Aitken examines the lack of transparency in campaign financing.
Mapping the New World: Lessons from the Obama Campaigns
September 10, 2013, 10:02 amBy Michael Slaby
A new paper from Spring 2013 Fellow Michael Slaby, former Chief Integration and Innovation Officer on the 2012 Obama for America campaign and CTO in 2008.
Did Twitter Kill the Boys on the Bus?
Searching for a better way to cover a campaign
August 28, 2013, 5:11 pmBy Peter Hamby
In a new paper released by the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University, Spring 2013 Fellow Peter Hamby, who covered the 2008 and 2012 presidential races for CNN, examines the challenges of reporting on a modern political race in today’s volatile online media ecosystem.
Mom’s Best Advice: How Candidates Who Didn’t Run as Themselves Lost the Message War
July 23, 2013, 1:46 pmBy Melinda Henneberger
A paper by Spring 2013 Fellow Melinda Henneberger examines the importance of a candidate’s authenticity in presidential elections.
