Politics & Government 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…
Black Pigeon Speaks: The Anatomy of the Worldview of an Alt-Right YouTuber
June 28, 2017, 8:30 amBy Zack Exley, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (spring 2017), organizer, author and former senior advisor to the Bernie Sanders campaign
Disclaimer: This paper contains offensive content. “Alt-right” views quoted in this paper are not endorsed by the Shorenstein Center. A new paper by Zack Exley, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (spring 2017), organizer and author dives into a little-known part of the…
In Search of Unbiased Reporting in Light of Brexit, Trump and Other Reporting Challenges in the UK and US
June 13, 2017, 8:45 amHelen Boaden, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (spring 2017), and former BBC News and BBC Radio director
A new paper by Helen Boaden, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (spring 2017), and former BBC News and BBC Radio director, compares the BBC’s value of impartiality to the American value of objectivity in journalism, and the pressures placed on both in their…
News Coverage of Donald Trump’s First 100 Days
May 18, 2017, 9:00 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 President Trump’s first 100 days in office. The report is based on an analysis of news reports in the print editions…
News Coverage of the 2016 General Election: How the Press Failed the Voters
December 7, 2016, 5:00 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 during the 2016 general election, and concludes that both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump received coverage that was overwhelmingly negative in tone…
News Coverage of the 2016 National Conventions: Negative News, Lacking Context
September 21, 2016, 5:00 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 Republican and Democratic national conventions, and whether this coverage, which was overwhelmingly negative, best served the needs of the…
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…
