Lectures and discussions on a wide range of topics, including coverage of race, women, media, politics, and technology.

Shorenstein Center

Farai Chideya, Joan Shorenstein Fellow and senior writer at FiveThirtyEight, and Zack Exley, Joan Shorenstein Fellow and senior advisor to Bernie Sanders’ campaign, discussed the role of race and class in the 2016 presidential election. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded March 7, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Media and Politics Podcast

Farai Chideya and Zack Exley: Understanding the Electorate

Rick Stengel, Walter Shorenstein Media and Democracy Fellow, discussed the differences between working in media and government, the Trump administration’s relationship with the press and how terrorist groups use social media, among other topics at the Shorenstein Center. Stengel served as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs from 2014-2016, and is former managing editor for Time magazine. He is currently an advisor to Snapchat. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded February 28, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Rick Stengel: Government and the Media

Helen Boaden, spring 2017 Joan Shorenstein Fellow and director of BBC Radio, and Ann Marie Lipinski, curator for the Nieman Foundation for Journalism, discussed the role of the press and social media in the Brexit referendum and the US presidential election. This Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution was recorded February 27, 2017, at Harvard University.

Helen Boaden and Ann Marie Lipinski: Media in the Age of Trump and Brexit

Dafna Linzer, managing editor of politics for NBC News and MSNBC, shared insights about covering the 2016 campaign and the Trump administration. The discussion included President Trump’s media viewing habits, why the President’s tweets are newsworthy, and how the press corps will have to adapt. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded February 21, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Reporting on Trump from the Campaign Trail to the White House

Doug Elmendorf, Dean of Harvard Kennedy School and former director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) from 2009-2015, discussed why the CBO exists, how it works, and how the media reports on its findings, in a conversation at the Shorenstein Center. Dean Elmendorf also discussed how the CBO makes its forecasts compared to those of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the dynamic scoring process, and other topics. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded March 22, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Doug Elmendorf: Understanding the Congressional Budget Office

Masha Gessen, author and New York Times contributing opinion writer, shared her views on Presidents Trump and Putin, and words of caution for journalists covering the Trump administration’s alleged connections to Russia, during a visit to the Shorenstein Center. Gessen also discussed her forthcoming book, The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia, quality of life and recent protests in Russia, and other topics. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded March 28, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Masha Gessen: Russia and Trump, Media Coverage, and Conspiracies

Bhaskar Sunkara, editor and publisher of Jacobin magazine, discussed his views on leftist politics in the United States during a visit to the Shorenstein Center. Sunkara also discussed the intersection of race and class, work and automation, the decline of unions, and other topics. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded April 4, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Bhaskar Sunkara: The Future of the American Left

Sarah Smarsh, a reporter on socioeconomic class, politics, and policy for The New Yorker, The Guardian, Harper’s online, and other publications, discussed media coverage of class in the U.S. in a conversation with Shorenstein Center director Nicco Mele. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded April 18, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Sarah Smarsh: Reporting on Rural America and Class

Tom Patterson, Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at Harvard Kennedy School, and Nicco Mele, director of the Shorenstein Center, discuss Professor Patterson's new study on media coverage of Donald Trump's first 100 days as President. The study is based on an analysis of news reports in the print editions of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, the main newscasts of CBS, CNN, and Fox News, and three European news outlets (The UK’s Financial Times and BBC, and Germany’s ARD). The study found that President Trump dominated media coverage in the outlets and programs analyzed, with Trump being the topic of 41 percent of all news stories—three times the amount of coverage received by previous presidents. He was also the featured speaker in nearly two-thirds of his coverage. This Shorenstein Center Media and Politics Podcast episode was recorded May 16, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

News Coverage of Donald Trump’s First 100 Days: featuring Tom Patterson and Nicco Mele

A conversation with Helen Boaden, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (spring 2017) and former BBC News and BBC Radio director, about her new research paper comparing the BBC’s value of impartiality to the American value of objectivity in journalism, and the pressures placed on both in their respective environments. Boaden explains how although the BBC receives funding from a license fee and is not subject to the commercial pressures that American news outlets face, political pressures can still affect its survival and independence. Beyond money and politics, the nature of the modern news cycle can subvert journalists’ values. The full paper, which can be read at shorensteincenter.org, reviews election coverage in the US, touches on the BBC’s coverage during the Brexit referendum, and looks at the challenges arising from the spread of disinformation and fake news. 

Full paper: https://shorensteincenter.org/unbiased-reporting-brexit-trump-uk

Helen Boaden: In Search of Unbiased Reporting in Light of Brexit, Trump and Other Challenges

Yeganeh Rezaian, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (fall 2016) and Iranian journalist, talks about her new paper, "How Women Journalists Are Silenced in a Man's World: The Double-Edged Sword of Reporting from Muslim Countries," available to read in full at shorensteincenter.org. The paper shines a light on the difficulties women reporters face while working in Muslim countries, as well as the importance of the stories they tell. Rezaian, who formerly worked for Bloomberg News and The National, was imprisoned in Tehran along with her husband Jason Rezaian of The Washington Post. She shares her own stories of being silenced and harassed, as well as those of other women reporters. In addition to imprisonment, women journalists in Muslim countries can experience online harassment and blackmail, defamation of character, unwanted advances in exchange for access, and the expectation to ask softball questions of officials, among other problems. Despite these challenges, women reporters continue to work to tell important stories in the region. Rezaian’s access as a woman has allowed her to cover topics that a newsroom may otherwise ignore, or that a man could not cover in a conservative religious setting. Rezaian writes that now that she is free from the restrictions of the Islamic Republic, she has a responsibility to her fellow journalists—who may not have the freedom to speak out—to raise awareness of these issues.

Yeganeh Rezaian: How Women Journalists Are Silenced in a Man's World

A conversation with Zack Exley, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (spring 2017), organizer and author, about his new research paper which dives into a little-known part of the alt-right media landscape, revealing its influence and worldview. In the paper, which can be read in full at shorensteincenter.org, Exley writes that political channels on YouTube are currently dominated by the right wing. Although often overlooked by mainstream society, these channels receive millions of views, espousing recycled National Socialist and white nationalist ideologies with a modern twist. The alt-right uses these channels to build influence and spread its ideas among its audience, much as right-wing talk radio has for decades. Exley examines the content of one of these channels, "Black Pigeon Speaks," uncovering the worldview put forth by the channel’s host.

Zack Exley: The Alt-Right on YouTube

E.J. Dionne, Jr., political writer for The Washington Post, and William H. Bloomberg Visiting Professor, discussed his forthcoming book, One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet Deported, co-authored by Norman J. Ornstein and Thomas E. Mann. During his talk at the Shorenstein Center, Dionne also covered the media’s performance during the 2016 election, divides in American society, and how the media and progressives can move forward. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded September 12, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

E.J. Dionne, Jr. - 'One Nation After Trump', Media, the Economy, and Progressivism

Vann R. Newkirk II, staff writer for The Atlantic, discussed Charlottesville, Jemele Hill’s remarks about President Trump, and the media’s shortcomings in its coverage of racial issues, among other topics, during a visit to the Shorenstein Center. He also discussed healthcare policy, Black Lives Matter, reporting on the working class, voter turnout, and more, in a conversation with Shorenstein Center Director Nicco Mele. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded September 19, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Vann R. Newkirk II: Race, Identity, and the Media

Nancy Youssef, national security correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, discussed the relations between the U.S. and a number of countries, including North Korea, as well as press access and President Trump’s approach to foreign policy, during a visit to the Shorenstein Center. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded September 26, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Nancy Youssef: Foreign Policy under the Trump Administration

Gary Liu, CEO of the South China Morning Post, discussed the Hong-Kong-based news outlet and its audience, and how he thinks about organizational transformation. Prior to joining SCMP, Liu was the CEO of Digg, where he led the startup’s transformation from aggregator to news platform. Previously, he was head of Spotify Labs, where he managed strategy for global markets. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded October 3, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Gary Liu: Digital News and Transforming a Legacy Media Company

Bob Schieffer, CBS News contributor, former Face the Nation host, and 2015-2016 Walter Shorenstein Media & Democracy Fellow, discussed his new book, Overload: Finding the Truth in Today’s Deluge of News, during a visit to the Shorenstein Center. He also shared his thoughts on the 2016 election, media coverage of the White House, and the future of news in a conversation with Nicco Mele, Shorenstein Center director. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded October 10, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Bob Schieffer: Finding the Truth in Today's Deluge of News

Jackie Calmes, White House editor for the Los Angeles Times Washington bureau, discussed the evolution of conservative media and its relationship with the GOP, and the challenges of covering the White House, during a visit to the Shorenstein Center.  Calmes also discussed the historical roots of conservative media, its messaging about race, funding and advertising for conservative outlets, and more. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded October 17, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Jackie Calmes: Conservative Media and U.S. Politics

Nancy Scola, senior technology reporter for Politico, discussed the regulation of tech platforms, their role in the 2016 election, cyber security, and more in a conversation with Nicco Mele, Shorenstein Center Director. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded October 24, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Nancy Scola: Regulating the Tech Industry

Author Michael Pollan discussed the Farm Bill’s far-reaching impact on the U.S. food system and the environment, how journalists can better cover food policy, and more during a visit to the Shorenstein Center. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded October 31, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Michael Pollan: Food Policy and Its Coverage in the Media

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