Shorenstein Center -

News Coverage of the 2016 National Conventions: Negative News, Lacking Context

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…

Mobile vs. Computer: Implications for News Audiences and Outlets

A new paper by Johanna Dunaway, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (spring 2016) and associate professor of communication at Texas A&M University, examines how mobile technology – despite expanding internet access – is also contributing to a digital divide in news consumption….

This year’s Theodore H. White Lecture on Press and Politics was delivered by comedian, producer and writer Larry Wilmore. The David Nyhan Prize for Political Journalism was also awarded to Nancy Kaffer of the Detroit Free Press. Larry Wilmore’s talk starts at 15:09….

Sissela Bok: Secrets and Lies in Politics and Elections

November 1, 2016—Sissela Bok, writer, philosopher, and a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, provided a nuanced view on how lies and secrets in politics have impacted public trust and the 2016 election. Below…

Nicco Mele, director of the Shorenstein Center, writes that after the election, “to get beyond celebrity- and pundit-driven news, newsrooms need to become civic reactors—hubs of community information and activity.” Read more in Nieman Reports.

September 27, 2016 — Today marks the 30th anniversary of the dedication of the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University. Despite a multitude of changes in media and the political process during the past 30 years, the Center’s mission remains as relevant…