Shorenstein Center Media and Politics Podcast

"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 this special episode, Dr. Donovan talks with Jesse Bender, a manager for Steak-umms' Twitter account, about the brand's recent success with viral messaging combating misinformation around the COVID-19 pandemic. What roles are brand social media accounts playing in today's information ecosystem? How does a sliced frozen meat product become a trusted voice of reason and leader of an online community (and what, exactly, is the Steak-umms community)? Listen in to find out!

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 audio version of Heidi Legg's new Shorenstein Center Paper "Preserving America's Thought Leader Magazines." https://shorensteincenter.org/preserving-americas-thought-leader-magazines The paper starts with a brief history of the thought leader magazine with an emphasis on how they built trust, which is key to attracting loyal readers. The discussion then turns to  brand affinity, as it relates to trust and affects revenue streams. Finally, the paper examines how six leading thought leader magazines – New York Magazine, Mother Jones, Wired, The Information, The Atlantic, and Rolling Stone – are all responding to changing public demand and delivery.  Thanks to Harvard College student Andrew Zucker for producing this audio paper.

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 landscape?  Thomas Patterson is the Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at Harvard Kennedy School, and the author of the recent book "How America Lost Its Mind: The Assault on Reason that is Crippling America." He talks with former Shorenstein Center Fellow and Filmmaker-in-Residence Gabriel London, whose paper titled "Hanging by a Thread: Serialized Narratives in a Post-Factual Era" was just published at ShorensteinCenter.org. 

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 Jinping, follows the rise of China's current leader, and how the West got him so wrong. From clinking champagne glasses at the State Department to the lowest ebb in US China relations in 40 years, Perlez and a series of expert China watchers explain what's happened. For a full transcript of this podcast visit https://shorensteincenter.org/transcript:-on-the-trail-of-xi-jinping/

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. In this special edition of our podcast, Heidi Legg, the Shorenstein Center's Director of Special Projects, reads her new landscape study on local news models across America. This landscape study includes over 40 mini case studies on outlets that are making the shift, starting fresh, or experimenting with new ways to survive and thrive. To read the full print version of the paper, visit https://shorensteincenter.org/landscape-local-news-models/

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 mobile, short-form video, OTT and streaming content. His research as a Shorenstein Fellow has focused on why news may be the key to winning the streaming video wars, and who is doing news (even if they don't call it that) in the streaming universe to-date.  In this special episode of the Shorenstein Center Media & Politics Podcast, Ed O'Keefe reads his paper "Streaming War Won" in its (very engaging) entirety.   For the original, written, version of this paper visit https://shorensteincenter.org/streaming-war-won/

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 Speaker Series event was recorded April 2, 2019, at Harvard Kennedy School.  Music ("Skip a Beat" by Intimidation) provided by ExtremeMusic.com.   

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 with serious disciplinary records, to the mishandling of police misconduct cases. The investigation led to the resignation of the police chief, criminal charges against two officers and plans for an independent investigation of the department, demonstrating the strong, immediate impact that investigative journalism can have at the local level – and its ability to force critical changes in communities. Read this excellent example of collaborative journalism here: https://www.southbendtribune.com/elkhartcoverage/ Heidi Legg talked to reporter Christian Sheckler from the south Bend Tribune, and Ken Armstrong from ProPublica, about the deep searches they did through public records to find evidence of misconduct, and the collaborative experience of reporting this story at the South Bend Tribune - a local newspaper with only 12 reporters.   This episode is part of the Shorenstein Center's special series of interviews with the finalists for the 2019 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Journalism. The Goldsmith Prize winner will be announced at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government on March 12, 2019. Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

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 on the floors of Congress, sparking widespread condemnation and having an almost immediate impact, with President Trump signing an executive order to end the family separation policy within 48 hours of its publication. ProPublica reporters then dug deeper into conditions at the detention centers, detailing abuse and assaults on immigrant children, directly countering the administration’s claims that the shelters were safe havens. Read, and listen, to their reporting here: https://www.propublica.org/series/zero-tolerance In this episode, Heidi Legg talks with reporters Ginger Thompson and Mike Grabell about getting the audio recording, and how their reporting unfolded and uncovered more and more layers from there.  This episode is part of the Shorenstein Center's special series of interviews with the finalists for the 2019 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Journalism. The Goldsmith Prize winner will be announced at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government on March 12, 2019. Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

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 testing inside 19 elementary schools, and engaging teachers and parents in their reporting, the Inquirer built a comprehensive database of the shocking conditions putting children at risk on a daily basis. Read the reporting: http://media.philly.com/storage/special_projects/lead-paint-poison-children-asbestos-mold-schools-philadelphia-toxic-city.html In this episode of the Shorenstein Center podcast, Heidi Legg talks to reporters Wendy Ruderman, Barbara Laker, and Dylan Purcell, along with Investigations Editor Jim Neff, about how they found and analyzed data, tracked an expanding web of problems, and eventually uncovered the vast number of health hazards across the city's school system.  This episode is part of the Shorenstein Center's special series of interviews with the finalists for the 2019 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Journalism. The Goldsmith Prize winner will be announced at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government on March 12, 2019. Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

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 to work against their will at an Ohio egg farm, the criminal network that exploited them, the companies that profited, and how U.S. government policies and practices helped to deliver some of the children directly to their traffickers. The investigation uncovered widespread criminal abuse, and will be used as a Department of Justice Anti-Human Trafficking training tool for thousands of law enforcement officials and prosecutors. Watch the film: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/trafficked-in-america/ In this episode of the Shorenstein Center podcast, Heidi Legg talks to Daffodil Altan and Adrés Cediel about the shoeleather reporting required to find and get access to people who had been trafficked in the U.S., and the need for cultural competency and language fluency for reporting stories like these. This episode is part of the Shorenstein Center's special series of interviews with the finalists for the 2019 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Journalism. The Goldsmith Prize winner will be announced at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government on March 12, 2019. Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

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 dollars from the corporate management of taxpayer-funded Medicaid, some of the most vulnerable Texans were denied critical services, equipment and treatments, often with profoundly life-altering results. As a result of the investigation the Texas legislature pledged millions of dollars to more closely regulate the system, monitor instances of denials of care, and reform the appeals process. Read the reporting: https://interactives.dallasnews.com/2018/pain-and-profit/index.html In this episode of the Shorenstein Center podcast, Heidi Legg talks to reporters David McSwane and Andrew Chavez about tracking down the patients and families affected, how they got to the bottom of why some of the most vulnerable patients were being denied the care they needed, and what's next with this story. This episode is part of the Shorenstein Center's special series of interviews with the finalists for the 2019 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Journalism. The Goldsmith Prize winner will be announced at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government on March 12, 2019. Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

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 uncovered a history of misconduct that resulted in the ‘Beach House Sheriff’ losing his reelection bid, the launch of investigations into his conduct at the federal, state and local level, and proposed legislation to prevent Alabama sheriffs from pocketing public funds for personal enrichment. Read the reporting: https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2018/03/inside_etowah_county_jail_nigh.html Heidi Legg talks to Connor Sheets about what it's like to investigate a local elected official in a small state, how he broke the story based on a tip from a teenage lawnmower, and the changes that happened as a result of his reporting. This episode is part of the Shorenstein Center's special series of interviews with the finalists for the 2019 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Journalism. The Goldsmith Prize winner will be announced at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government on March 12, 2019. Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

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 federal criminal investigation into campaign-finance abuses that will soon land the president’s longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, in prison. In this episode of the Shorenstein Center podcast, Heidi Legg talks to Michael Rothfeld and Joe Palazzolo about how the found the story, the lengths they went to uncover evidence, and the expected and unexpected outcomes of their ongoing reporting. This episode is part of the Shorenstein Center's special series of interviews with the finalists for the 2019 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Journalism. The Goldsmith Prize winner will be announced at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government on March 12, 2019. Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

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 Center Speaker Series event was recorded October 1, 2018, at Harvard Kennedy School. Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com. 

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 provided by ExtremeMusic.com. 

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 the midterm elections, cultural attitudes towards the Kavanaugh hearings, and how young people view the Republican Party.  This Shorenstein Center Media & Politics Podcast was recorded September 24, 2018. 

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 recorded September 18, 2018, at Harvard Kennedy School.  

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 and Undermines Democracy". This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded September 11, 2018, at Harvard Kennedy School.  Apologies for the poor sound quality of audience questions. 

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 event was recorded April 3, 2018, at Harvard Kennedy School.