Marie Sanz, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (fall 2015) and senior correspondent for Agence France Presse, introduces her new research paper examining The New York Times' editorials on U.S.-Cuba relations over the past five decades, and the role of the press in the restoration of relations between the two countries. Since 1961, The New York Times editorial board consistently opposed the break in U.S.-Cuba relations, and used major historical events such as the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Mariel boatlift, and the Elian Gonzalez standoff to argue for the restoration of relations. Sanz also covers Fidel Castro’s relationship with the media, how U.S. public opinion toward Cuba changed over time, and the secret talks between the U.S. and Cuba that led to the announcement that relations would be normalized on December 17, 2014. Sanz's full paper can be read at shorensteincenter.org.

David Ensor, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (fall 2015) and former director of Voice of America (VOA), introduces his new research paper making the case for strengthening VOA in order to grow U.S. soft power through the production and spread of journalism. VOA’s news programming, which is funded by the U.S. government but remains editorially independent, reaches almost 188 million people in more than 45 languages through a variety of platforms. Building upon Joseph Nye’s concept of soft power, Ensor argues that VOA is one of the U.S.’s most valuable national security assets, and as such, needs more resources than it currently receives. Ensor's full paper can be read at shorensteincenter.org. 

A conversation on international media and politics with the fall 2015 Joan Shorenstein Fellows: David Ensor, former director of Voice of America, Marie Sanz, Lima, Peru bureau chief, AFP, and Paul Wood, foreign correspondent, BBC. The panel discussion focused on the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, as well the fellows’ work at the Center. The fellows discussed the media’s role in using soft power to counter extremism, and the accuracy of common media narratives about ISIS. There was also discussion of the international refugee crisis, and U.S.-Cuba relations. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on November 17, 2015, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Former fellow and TV news producer Richard N. Kaplan returned to the Shorenstein Center to discuss the 2016 election, including the debates and the role of the media, and the need for serious journalism. Kaplan has worked for CBS, ABC, CNN and MSNBC, and served as executive producer for Walter Cronkite, Peter Jennings, Ted Koppel, Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, and Christiane Amanpour. He recently served as creative consultant on Aaron Sorkin’s HBO show "The Newsroom." Kaplan also discussed Brian Williams’ reentry into the news, presidential candidates' appearances on "Saturday Night Live," news values and ethics, international reporting, and his involvement as a consultant to "The Newsroom." This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on November 10, 2015, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Marvin Kalb, Shorenstein Center founding director and former moderator of "Meet the Press," discussed the current relationship between Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S., placing the situation within a larger historical context. Kalb also spoke more about U.S. diplomacy and military actions, Russia-China relations, Putin’s advisors, and sanctions. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on November 4, 2015, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Maria Sacchetti, who covers immigration for The Boston Globe, shared her experience reporting on the international refugee crisis in Europe, and discussed the importance of local coverage of international stories. Sacchetti traveled to the Greek island of Lesbos to report on the refugees as they arrived onshore. She gives an account of her travels north to Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, and Germany, following the path of refugees and telling their stories in a recent Boston Globe series. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on November 3, 2015, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Bob Schieffer, Walter Shorenstein Media and Democracy Fellow, veteran CBS reporter, and former moderator of “Face the Nation,” discussed the nature of the presidential debates, the current field of presidential candidates, and political media in the second event in a series focusing on the 2016 election. Schieffer reflected on his moderation of past presidential debates, including Obama & McCain in 2008, and Obama and Romney in 2012. He also gave his thoughts on the debate performances of 2016 candidates and their current standing in the polls, including Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson and Donald Trump. This Shorenstein Center Campaign Series event was recorded on October 28, 2015, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Garance Franke-Ruta, editor in chief of Yahoo Politics and former Shorenstein Center Fellow, discussed the current state of women in politics and political media. For the 2016 election cycle, “the picture is mixed” on the campaign trail, said Franke-Ruta. More women are covering political races than ever before, and women are running for office – yet the media still struggles with presenting women’s voices. Franke-Ruta also discusses Hillary Clinton’s campaign and legislative record, the role of appearance and character in political coverage, Yahoo’s campaign coverage strategy, and more, in this Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event recorded on October 20, 2015, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Nadine Strossen, John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law at New York Law School and former ACLU president, delivered the eighth annual Richard S. Salant Lecture on Freedom of the Press, where she expressed her concerns that the over-regulation of sexual expression on college campuses is having a chilling effect on academic freedom. Strossen also discussed trigger warnings, hate speech, and the FCC in this event presented by the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy and recorded on October 7, 2015, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Nikole Hannah-Jones, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, discussed her investigative reporting on segregation and discrimination in education and housing, as well as the media’s broader coverage of racial issues. Hannah-Jones also discussed the creation of and reaction to her recent “This American Life” story, the role of the media in the Civil Rights Movement, objectivity and emotional expression in journalism, and the intersection of class and race in school segregation. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on October 13, 2015, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Jaron Lanier, computer scientist and author of Who Owns the Future? and You Are Not a Gadget, discussed how the current digital economy, driven by automation and efficiency, is on track to leave large segments of society behind economically. Lanier also addressed, among other topics, privacy, ideology in technology, educational technology and MOOCs, the current dystopian streak in science fiction, the impact of technology on ideas about personhood and spirituality, and the details of how micropayments could be used to pay people for their online activity and data. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on October 8, 2015, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Kristen Soltis Anderson, Republican pollster and author of "The Selfie Vote," discussed the divide between the Millennial generation and the Republican Party, and what the party can do to better resonate with young voters in future elections. Anderson also addressed how far-right candidates harm the image of moderate candidates, how Republicans could address climate change, the debate within the party on social issues, and differences between younger and older Millennials. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on October 6, 2015, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Peter Hamby, Head of News at Snapchat and a political contributor for CNN, discussed how Snapchat creates news stories, how campaigns are using the platform, and the ever-evolving relationship between social media and journalism. Hamby also discussed the media platforms young people are using to receive their news, which presidential candidates are using the Snapchat platform most effectively to connect with potential voters, the viability of Donald Trump’s campaign, journalists and Twitter, and other topics. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on September 29, 2015, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Jonathan Capehart, a member of The Washington Post editorial board, writer for the PostPartisan blog, and MSNBC contributor, discussed the parallels between the Black Lives Matter and marriage equality movements, the role of the media, and the 2016 election. Capehart also addressed, among other topics, critiques of the Black Lives Matter movement, the role of the courts in the legislative process, the role of activists and mass movements in effecting change, voter suppression laws, and the Kim Davis controversy. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on September 22, 2015, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Bob Schieffer, Walter Shorenstein Media and Democracy Fellow, veteran CBS reporter and former moderator of “Face the Nation,” discusses the corrosive effects of money in politics and his outlook for the 2016 presidential election. Hear Schieffer discuss campaign finance reform, the presidential debates, campaign advertising and more in the full audio recording of this Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event recorded September 15, 2015 at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Wesley Lowery, reporter at The Washington Post, discusses his extensive coverage of Ferguson, Missouri, and its lessons for the media. Lowery, who spoke at the Shorenstein Center in February 2015, explains how he used social media and first person testimony to show a Ferguson beyond the violence that was aired repeatedly on television news. Lowery shares lessons for media outlets, including engaging people on the platforms they use, empowering them to tell their own stories, and responding to audience feedback. Also featuring Michele Norris, NPR host and special correspondent, and Spring 2015 Joan Shorenstein Fellow.

Jackie Calmes, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (Spring 2015) and national correspondent for The New York Times, introduces her new discussion paper examining the increasing influence of conservative media on the Republican Party's agenda. Calmes found that beyond the big names and outlets such as Limbaugh and Fox, smaller local personalities also exert significant influence over listeners and politicians. This influence is troubling to leaders in the Republican Party, who Calmes interviewed extensively for the paper. She argues that today's conservative media now shapes the agenda of the party, pushing it to the far right – at the expense of its ability to govern and pick presidential nominees.

David Weinberger, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (Spring 2015) and senior researcher at Harvard’s Berkman Center, introduces his newly-published discussion paper exploring the successes, challenges and opportunities for news organizations using APIs. An API (application programming interface) enables websites and applications to talk to each other and efficiently share data and functionality across sites and platforms. In this podcast, Weinberger provides both practical recommendations for creating open APIs and a vision for a future of online news where open APIs become commonplace – enabling a new era of interoperability and shareability across the Web.

William E. Buzenberg, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (Spring 2015) and former Executive Director of the Center for Public Integrity, introduces his newly-published discussion paper, "Anatomy of a Global Investigation: Collaborative, Data-Driven, Without Borders". Buzenberg's paper explores the need for and impact of international collaborations between news outlets. Buzenberg argues that although our world – and its resulting news stories – have become increasingly more globalized in nature, from finance to the environment to crime, most news outlets still find their scope restricted by nation-state borders and thinly-spread foreign correspondents.

Jeffrey Goldberg from The Atlantic and Farnaz Fassihi, a senior writer at The Wall Street Journal, discuss the changing nature of reporting on conflict and terrorism in the Middle East. Goldberg, who spoke in November 2014, and Fassihi, who spoke in March 2015, explore the heightened security risks to correspondents in the Middle East, why the situation has changed, how coverage of the region suffers when journalists aren’t able to report from the ground, and how moments of hope and positivity can still be found in an otherwise traumatic environment.  

Highlights from Shorenstein Center talks by two key BuzzFeed staff members: Ben Smith, editor-in-chief; and Miriam Elder, world editor. Smith, who spoke in February 2014, and Elder, who spoke in September 2014, discuss some of the strategies employed by BuzzFeed as it has grown from a site known for lists, quizzes and cat videos into a global news organization. They discuss the importance of social media and mobile traffic for modern media organizations, details of BuzzFeed’s international expansion plans and recruitment of foreign correspondents, the business model, and more.