Sarah Kliff, deputy managing editor for visuals at Vox, discussed media coverage of the Affordable Care Act, what’s next for health care policy, and Vox’s approach to covering policy. Kliff, whose work has included coverage for Vox, The Washington Post, Politico, and Newsweek, also discussed access to women’s health care and contraception at the state level, the challenges of implementing a single-payer system, improving the efficiency and outcomes of health care spending, and her tips for aspiring policy reporters, among other topics. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on March 29, 2016, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Linda Greenhouse, columnist and former Supreme Court reporter for the New York Times, and lecturer at Yale Law School, discussed the current polarization of the court, the nomination of Merrick Garland, and the legacy of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Greenhouse also discussed the process of deciding cases, the purpose and effect of oral arguments, gender balance and diversity on the court, the court’s decision in the 2000 presidential election, and Citizens United, among other topics. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on March 22, 2016, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

In this keynote address from the 2016 Goldsmith Awards in Political Journalism ceremony, Walter Isaacson, former chairman of CNN, former editor of TIME, and president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, spoke about the relationship between technology and journalism, and the potential business models for news media organizations in the future. To watch video of the full Goldsmith Awards ceremony, including the presentation of the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting, visit shorensteincenter.org. This Shorenstein Center lecture was recorded on March 3, 2016, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Philip Bennett, former managing editor for The Washington Post and PBS's FRONTLINE, explored how the promise of the digital revolution has fallen short for some aspects of media and civic engagement, and why news outlets should have an interest in improving the situation. Bennett, who is currently the Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke University, identified the "missing pieces that weaken the news media’s ability to contribute to democracy." Bennett also discussed fact checking, campaign coverage, overcoming "compassion fatigue" and audience indifference toward humanitarian crisis stories, and media coverage leading up to the start of the Iraq War. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on March 8, 2016, at Harvard Kennedy School.

As states across the nation voted in the Super Tuesday Primaries, Nancy Gibbs, editor of TIME, visited the Shorenstein Center to discuss the parallels between the disruption of the media industry and the upheaval of politics during the 2016 presidential campaign. In this election cycle, the "traditional entities" – the political parties, the media and the donor class – have been “cut out” as middlemen, said Gibbs. Outsider candidates - particularly Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders - have been able to "build an audience, deliver a message, and create a platform, all of their own construction." Gibbs also discussed technology in government, journalism business models, media bias, money in politics, coverage of Donald Trump, and voter turnout. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on March 1, 2016, at Harvard Kennedy School.