Shorenstein Center Media and Politics Podcast

By Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy

What's Shorenstein Center Media and Politics Podcast about?

The Shorenstein Center Media and Politics Podcast features insight and expertise from leading voices at the intersection of media, politics and public policy. Prominent journalists, editors and academics address topics such as the media industry, campaigns and politics, foreign policy, race and gender, and technology.

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Shorenstein Center Media and Politics Podcast episodes:

02.18.2021
Untying Knots: Episode 3 - Native Land Rights and the Ongoing Fight for Justice
Hosts: Erica Licht and Nikhil Raghuveera Featuring: Mari Halbutta (Chickasaw Nation) and Talia Landry (Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe) The Untying Knots Podcast explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systems of oppression and working towards a more equitable future....
07.10.2020
Untying Knots: Episode 1 - Transforming Wealth Inequity Through Anti-Racist Funding
Hosts: Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht Featuring: Karla Nicholson (Haymarket People’s Fund) and Lucas Turner-Owens (Boston Ujima Project) Hundreds of years of racist institutional policies have denied wealth to Black, Indigenous, and communities of color. In this current period of...
04.21.2020
Big, If True: Disappointingly, Steak-umm is Not a Talking Steak.
"Big, If True" is a webinar series from the Technology and Social Change Research Project at the Shorenstein Center. Hosted by Dr. Joan Donovan, the series focuses on media manipulation, disinformation, and the future of democracy during a pandemic. In...
03.25.2020
Preserving America's Thought Leader Magazines
Magazines that cover American public affairs, culture, and life have long held an important place in American journalism. But the magazine industry, like the rest of journalism, has struggled in recent years. This special edition of our podcast is an...
03.11.2020
News Narratives in a Post-Factual Era
How does news and truth survive, when trust in what is fact has suffered and people live in bubbles of isolated realities fed by polarized and fragmented media sources? What is the role of narrative storytelling in this new media...
12.19.2019
On the Trail of Xi Jinping
U.S./China relations have seen huge shifts over the past decade. Jane Perlez, former Beijing Bureau Chief for The New York Times, witnessed much of it during her seven years reporting from China. Her new podcast, On the Trail of Xi...
07.09.2019
The Landscape of Local News Models in America
Local journalism is in crisis, off and online. Years of downsizing in the face of digital disruption have weakened regional and local news organizations. But there are a few glimpses of hope in models for local news across the country....
04.30.2019
Streaming War Won: Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the news
Shorenstein Center Spring 2019 Fellow Edward F. O'Keefe served most recently as Senior Vice President of Content Development at CNN, previously worked as a reporter at ABC News and editor in chief of Now This, and is a media industry expert in...
04.03.2019
Garrett Graff: Decoding the Mueller Investigation
Shorenstein Center director Nicco Mele speaks to Garrett M. Graff, journalist, historian, and director of the Aspen Institute's Cybersecurity and Technology Program, about the Mueller Investigation: what we know, what we still don't know, and what's next. This Shorenstein Center...
03.12.2019
Behind the Reporting: South Bend Tribune and ProPublica's "Criminal Justice in Elkhart, Indiana"
Reporting from the South Bend Tribune and ProPublica revealed deep flaws and abuses of power in the criminal justice system in Elkhart, Indiana – from new revelations in the wrongful convictions of two men, to the promotions of police supervisors...
03.11.2019
Behind the Reporting: ProPublica's "Zero Tolerance"
ProPublica obtained and published a secret recording from inside a border patrol detention center that captured the sounds of children, recently separated from their families at the Mexican border, sobbing and begging for their parents. The audio clip was played...
03.08.2019
Behind the Reporting: The Philadelphia Inquirer's "Toxic City: Sick Schools"
In "Toxic City: Sick Schools" The Philadelphia Inquirer revealed unsafe conditions in Philadelphia’s rundown public schools, with children forced to learn in buildings rife with mold, asbestos and flaking and peeling lead paint. By scouring maintenance logs and conducting scientific...
03.07.2019
Behind the Reporting: Frontline and the Investigative Reporting Program's "Trafficked in America"
FRONTLINE from PBS and the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism produced an investigative documentary on labor trafficking happening today on U.S. soil. Reporters told the story of unaccompanied minors from Central America who were forced...
03.06.2019
Behind the Reporting: The Dallas Morning News' "Pain and Profit"
The Dallas Morning News found that thousands of sick and disabled Texans were being denied life-sustaining drugs and treatments by the private health insurance companies hired by the state to manage their care. While these private contractors made billions of...
03.05.2019
Behind the Reporting: The Alabama Media Group's "Alabama's 'Beach House Sheriff'"
Amid threats to his family’s personal safety, reporter Connor Sheets revealed extensive wrongdoing by an Alabama sheriff, including improper use of millions of dollars’ worth of public funds and the mistreatment of inmates in the county jail he runs. Sheets...
02.27.2019
Behind the Reporting: The Wall Street Journal's "Trump's Hush Money"
Starting in 2016, a team from the Wall Street Journal, lead by reporters Michael Rothfeld and Joe Palazzolo, uncovered evidence that Donald Trump personally orchestrated a criminal scheme to suppress damaging sexual allegations, despite denials by the president. The coverage sparked a...
11.05.2018
Sarah Smarsh: Experiencing and Reporting on Rural America
Sarah Smarsh, author of the new book "Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth," joined Shorenstein Center director Nicco Mele for a conversation on how the media covers rural America. This Shorenstein...
11.05.2018
Eugene Scott: The Role of Identity Politics in the Midterm Elections and Beyond
Eugene Scott of The Washington Post joined Shorenstein Center director Nicco Mele for a conversation around identity politics and how they impact various political debates happening now. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded Tuesday, September 25, 2018. Music...
10.05.2018
Kristen Soltis Anderson: Millennials, Midterms, and the Future of the GOP
Kristen Soltis Anderson, pollster and co-founder of Echelon Insights, author of The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials Are Leading America (And How Republicans Can Keep Up), and co-host of The Pollsters, a bipartisan weekly podcast, joined Nicco Mele to discuss how millennial voters might impact...
10.03.2018
Setti Warren: Government, Campaigns, and the Media
Setti Warren, new Executive Director of the Shorenstein Center, and former mayor of Newton, MA, joined Nicco Mele to discuss local government, electoral campaigns, the importance of a robust local media, and more. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was...
09.18.2018
Siva Vaidhyanathan: Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy
Siva Vaidhyanathan is the Robertson Professor of Media Studies and director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia. He joined Shorenstein Center director Nicco Mele to discuss his new book, "Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us...
04.17.2018
Talia Buford: Environmental Inequity
Talia Buford, reporter for ProPublica, discussed environmental justice, the complexities of covering the environment, how environmental policy is changing in the Trump administration, and more in a conversation with Shorenstein Center Director Nicco Mele. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series...
04.17.2018
Adam Serwer: The Politics of Racism in Trump’s America
Adam Serwer, senior editor at The Atlantic, discussed the role of race and class in U.S. politics, and its media coverage, during a visit to the Shorenstein Center. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded March 27, 2018, at...
04.02.2018
Heather Ann Thompson: The Criminal Justice System and the Media
Heather Ann Thompson, a historian at the University of Michigan and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, discussed the Attica Prison uprising of 1971, its media coverage, and its legacy, in a conversation with Khalil G. Muhammad, Professor of History, Race, and Public...
03.04.2018
Tom Wheeler: The FCC, Net Neutrality, and Platform Regulation
Tom Wheeler, Chairman of the FCC from 2013 to 2017 under President Obama, and Walter Shorenstein Media and Democracy Fellow, discussed technological change, President Trump’s FCC, regulation of social platforms, and more during a talk at the Shorenstein Center. This...
03.04.2018
Meet the Finalists (Part 2): 2018 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting
This podcast features conversations with journalists from three of the six finalists for the 2018 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting: the Miami Herald, The Washington Post, and a collaboration between NPR and ProPublica. You can hear the other three finalists on...
02.27.2018
Meet the Finalists (Part 1): 2018 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting
This podcast features conversations with journalists from three of the six finalists for the 2018 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting: the Asbury Park Press, BuzzFeed News, and a collaboration between STAT and the Boston Globe. We’ll hear from the other...
02.23.2018
Elizabeth Bruenig: Religion, Politics, and the Left
Elizabeth Bruenig, Washington Post columnist, discussed the role of Christianity in U.S. politics with Richard Parker, Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded February 20, 2018, at Harvard Kennedy School.
02.16.2018
Garrett Graff: Trump, Mueller and Russia
Garrett Graff, journalist, author, and director of the Aspen Institute’s cybersecurity and technology program, discussed Robert Mueller’s investigations, election cybersecurity, and threats to U.S. democracy during a visit to the Shorenstein Center. Graff, who has written about Mueller extensively, also...
02.09.2018
Margaret Sullivan: The State of the Media in 2018
Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan discussed the challenge of covering President Trump, public trust in media, social media platforms and news, and more during a visit to the Shorenstein Center. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded February...
12.08.2017
Claes de Vreese: Political Journalism in a Populist Age
A conversation with Claes H. de Vreese, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (fall 2017) and Professor and Chair of Political Communication at the University of Amsterdam, about his new research paper on political journalism in a populist age. The paper, can be read...
11.22.2017
Edward Morris: Art and Activism
Edward Morris, Professor of Practice in the Department of Transmedia at Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, discussed how art can complement and further the goals of activism during a visit to the Shorenstein Center. Morris works with...
11.13.2017
Alexandra Petri: Satire and Comedy in the Age of Trump
Alexandra Petri, author of The Washington Post’s ComPost blog, brought laughs and her observations about comedy to the Shorenstein Center. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded November 7, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School.
11.13.2017
Marvin Kalb: Russia and the U.S.
Marvin Kalb, distinguished journalist, author, and the founding director of the Shorenstein Center, discussed President Vladimir Putin and his relationship with President Donald Trump, Russian involvement in the U.S. election, and more during a visit to the Shorenstein Center. Kalb also...
11.02.2017
Michael Pollan: Food Policy and Its Coverage in the Media
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...
10.27.2017
Nancy Scola: Regulating the Tech Industry
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,...
10.20.2017
Jackie Calmes: Conservative Media and U.S. Politics
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...
10.16.2017
Bob Schieffer: Finding the Truth in Today's Deluge of News
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...
10.05.2017
Gary Liu: Digital News and Transforming a Legacy Media Company
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...
09.28.2017
Nancy Youssef: Foreign Policy under the Trump Administration
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...
09.20.2017
Vann R. Newkirk II: Race, Identity, and the Media
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,...
09.13.2017
E.J. Dionne, Jr. - 'One Nation After Trump', Media, the Economy, and Progressivism
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...
07.18.2017
Derrick Z. Jackson: Environmental Justice? Unjust Coverage of the Flint Water Crisis
A conversation with Derrick Z. Jackson, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (fall 2016), Boston Globe essayist, and a climate and energy writer for the Union of Concerned Scientists, about his new research paper examining the failure of national media outlets to respond to...
06.28.2017
Zack Exley: The Alt-Right on YouTube
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...
06.21.2017
Meighan Stone: Media Coverage of Muslims and Refugee Policy
A conversation with Meighan Stone, Entrepreneurship Fellow (spring 2017) and former president of the Malala Fund, about her new research paper which argues that the predominantly negative coverage of Muslims and refugees on U.S. TV news contributes to negative public...
06.16.2017
Yeganeh Rezaian: How Women Journalists Are Silenced in a Man's World: The Double-Edged Sword of Reporting from Muslim Countries
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...
06.12.2017
Helen Boaden: In Search of Unbiased Reporting in Light of Brexit, Trump and Other Challenges
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...
05.17.2017
News Coverage of Donald Trump’s First 100 Days: featuring Tom Patterson and Nicco Mele
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...
04.19.2017
Sarah Smarsh: Reporting on Rural America and Class
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...
04.07.2017
Yochai Benkler: The Right Wing Media Ecosystem
Yochai Benkler, professor at Harvard Law School and co-director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard, discussed his recent study on conservative media and the 2016 election, which analyzed more than 1.25 million stories published...

What's Shorenstein Center Media and Politics Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Shorenstein Center Media and Politics Podcast episodes:

Untying Knots: Episode 3 - Native Land Rights and the Ongoing Fight for Justice

Untying Knots: Episode 1 - Transforming Wealth Inequity Through Anti-Racist Funding

Big, If True: Disappointingly, Steak-umm is Not a Talking Steak.

Preserving America's Thought Leader Magazines

News Narratives in a Post-Factual Era

On the Trail of Xi Jinping

The Landscape of Local News Models in America

Streaming War Won: Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the news

Garrett Graff: Decoding the Mueller Investigation

Behind the Reporting: South Bend Tribune and ProPublica's "Criminal Justice in Elkhart, Indiana"

Behind the Reporting: ProPublica's "Zero Tolerance"

Behind the Reporting: The Philadelphia Inquirer's "Toxic City: Sick Schools"

Behind the Reporting: Frontline and the Investigative Reporting Program's "Trafficked in America"

Behind the Reporting: The Dallas Morning News' "Pain and Profit"

Behind the Reporting: The Alabama Media Group's "Alabama's 'Beach House Sheriff'"

Behind the Reporting: The Wall Street Journal's "Trump's Hush Money"

Sarah Smarsh: Experiencing and Reporting on Rural America

Eugene Scott: The Role of Identity Politics in the Midterm Elections and Beyond

Kristen Soltis Anderson: Millennials, Midterms, and the Future of the GOP

Setti Warren: Government, Campaigns, and the Media

Siva Vaidhyanathan: Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy

Talia Buford: Environmental Inequity

Adam Serwer: The Politics of Racism in Trump’s America

Heather Ann Thompson: The Criminal Justice System and the Media

Tom Wheeler: The FCC, Net Neutrality, and Platform Regulation

Meet the Finalists (Part 2): 2018 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting

Meet the Finalists (Part 1): 2018 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting

Elizabeth Bruenig: Religion, Politics, and the Left

Garrett Graff: Trump, Mueller and Russia

Margaret Sullivan: The State of the Media in 2018

Claes de Vreese: Political Journalism in a Populist Age

Edward Morris: Art and Activism

Alexandra Petri: Satire and Comedy in the Age of Trump

Marvin Kalb: Russia and the U.S.

Michael Pollan: Food Policy and Its Coverage in the Media

Nancy Scola: Regulating the Tech Industry

Jackie Calmes: Conservative Media and U.S. Politics

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

Gary Liu: Digital News and Transforming a Legacy Media Company

Nancy Youssef: Foreign Policy under the Trump Administration

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

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

Derrick Z. Jackson: Environmental Justice? Unjust Coverage of the Flint Water Crisis

Zack Exley: The Alt-Right on YouTube

Meighan Stone: Media Coverage of Muslims and Refugee Policy

Yeganeh Rezaian: How Women Journalists Are Silenced in a Man's World: The Double-Edged Sword of Reporting from Muslim Countries

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

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

Sarah Smarsh: Reporting on Rural America and Class

Yochai Benkler: The Right Wing Media Ecosystem