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. 

Jorge Ramos delivers the keynote speech at the 2017 Goldsmith Awards for Political Journalism, after receiving the Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism. Ramos spoke about being an immigrant and journalist in the age of President Trump. This audio from the Goldsmith Awards Ceremony was recorded March 2, 2017, in the JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard Kennedy School. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

David Fahrenthold, a political reporter for The Washington Post, discussed his investigations of President Trump’s charitable giving during the 2016 campaign season, and provided insight about how to cover the president and his administration during a visit to the Shorenstein Center. Fahrenthold recently won acclaim for his coverage of the 2016 United States presidential election, particularly his investigations of Donald Trump’s charitable foundation and philanthropic giving. Fahrenthold also discusses some of the humorous details about how he tracked down information for his investigations, why he became a journalist, how to measure and increase the impact of investigative political reporting, Jeff Bezos’ impact on The Washington Post, and what he would change about 2016 election coverage. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on February 7, 2017, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

The 2016 Theodore H. White Lecture on Press and Politics was delivered by Larry Wilmore, comedian, producer and writer, and former host of Comedy Central's "The Nightly Show". He discussed the aftermath of the 2016 election, the role of comedy in politics and much more in a hilarious self-interview recorded at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard Kennedy School on November 15, 2016. 

Sissela Bok, writer, philosopher, and a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, provided a nuanced view on how lies and secrets in politics have impacted public trust and the 2016 election. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on November 1, 2016, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Tim Wu, author of The Master Switch and professor at Columbia Law School, discussed his new book, The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads, during a conversation at the Shorenstein Center with Erie Meyer, Joan Shorenstein Fellow. Wu, whose past work also includes the FTC, Google, and Free Press, discussed the historical origins of the attention economy, how people are fighting back against the encroachment of advertising, and considerations for media and technology companies. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on October 25, 2016, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Jeffrey Rosen, President & CEO of the National Constitution Center, Professor of Law at The George Washington University Law School, and a Contributing Editor of The Atlantic, delivered the ninth annual Salant Lecture on Freedom of the Press at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on October 13, 2016. Rosen argues that Twitter, Facebook, and Google are facing increased pressure to moderate content in a way that is inconsistent with First Amendment protections—in the name of promoting civility rather than democracy. He discusses the controversy around Facebook’s removal of a Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of a naked child from the Vietnam War, problems regarding transparency in content moderation, the EU’s right to be forgotten ruling, and the challenges of online mobs and hate speech, among other topics.

Peter D. Hart, chairman of Hart Research Associates, a public opinion research firm that provides polls for NBC News and The Wall Street Journal, discussed the driving forces behind the 2016 presidential election, and the influence of voter demographics and public opinion on the race. Hart also discussed down-ballot races, polling, and what to expect after Election Day, among other topics. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on October 19, 2016, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Amy Walter, national editor of The Cook Political Report, discussed possible outcomes of the 2016 presidential and down-ballot races, and what may lie ahead after Election Day. Walter, who appears on NBC’s "Meet the Press" and "PBS NewsHour," also discussed the role of voter turnout, Senate races in Missouri and North Carolina, her approach to political analysis, and what to expect during the lame-duck session of Congress, among many other topics. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on October 18, 2016, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Joy-Ann Reid, host of MSNBC’s "AM Joy" discussed the role of race within the Republican and Democratic parties, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the need for the U.S. to reckon with its history, in a discussion with Shorenstein Center Director Nicco Mele. Reid, who is the author of the 2015 book, Fracture: Barack Obama, the Clintons, and the Racial Divide, and former managing editor of theGrio.com, also discussed why demographics favor a Clinton win and what to expect from a Clinton presidency, the generational divide among African Americans, and conflicts within both parties, among many other topics. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on October 11, 2016, at Harvard Kennedy School.

Zeynep Tufekci, a New York Times opinion writer who focuses on the social impact of technology, discussed the advantages and shortcomings of the use of technology in protest movements. Tufekci, who is also an associate professor in the School of Information and Library Science at UNC, and a faculty associate at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard, has studied protests and social movements around the world to observe their culture, decision-making processes, and the role of the internet and social media. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded October 4, 2016, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Cathy O’Neil, data scientist and author of the new book Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy, discussed how some algorithms can have an invisible, but important and destructive impact on people’s lives. Decisions about employment, criminal sentencing, and many other areas are now influenced by algorithms and big data. This is a serious problem, argues O’Neil, as there is little transparency about how these systems are constructed or used. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded October 4, 2016, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Patrick Ruffini, co-founder and partner of Echelon Insights, a political research and analytics firm, discussed the September 26 presidential debate and the challenges facing the Republican Party in a conversation with Shorenstein Center director Nicco Mele. Ruffini, who was a digital strategist for George W. Bush’s 2004 campaign and the RNC in 2006, also discussed polling, the resiliency of the Republican Party in other races, voter expectations of Donald Trump, the effect of grassroots movements on political parties, and many other topics. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on September 27, 2016, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

A conversation on the state of the 2016 presidential campaign and its coverage in the media, with Bob Schieffer, former CBS News anchor and host of “Face the Nation,” and current Walter Shorenstein Media and Democracy Fellow; and Ann Compton, former ABC News White House correspondent and current fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics. They discuss the upcoming presidential debates, the role of social media in the 2016 election, and share stories from the campaign trail. Moderated by Nicco Mele, director of the Shorenstein Center. Recorded on September 20, 2016, in the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Molly Ball, political writer for The Atlantic, discussed the 2016 presidential race, the role of the media, and the prospects for both parties in a conversation with Shorenstein Center director Nicco Mele. She also discusses her new article about political consulting and her journalism career. This Shorenstein Center Speaker Series event was recorded on September 13, 2016, at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Johanna Dunaway, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (spring 2016) and associate professor of communication at Texas A&M University, examines how mobile technology – despite expanding internet access – is also contributing to a digital divide in news consumption. You can read Johanna Dunaway's full research paper on the topic by visiting shorensteincenter.org and clicking on 'Research'. 

Joanna Jolly, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (spring 2016) and BBC South Asia editor, introduces her new research paper examining the increased coverage of rape in India’s English-language newspapers following the infamous 2012 gang rape in Delhi, and whether this coverage led to policy changes.

* Listeners are advised this podcast contains discussion of sexual assault. 

Paul Wood, Fall 2015 Joan Shorenstein Fellow and BBC world affairs correspondent, discusses his new research paper, "The Pen and the Sword: Reporting ISIS". The paper, which can be read in full at shorensteincenter.org, tells the harrowing story of a journalist held hostage by ISIS, and examines the ethical dilemmas that arise when reporting on terrorist organizations. 

Dan Kennedy, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (spring 2016) and associate professor in the School of Journalism at Northeastern University, discusses his new research paper providing insight into The Washington Post’s digital strategy and business model following its acquisition by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. 

Marilyn Thompson, a Spring 2016 Joan Shorenstein Fellow and former deputy editor at POLITICO, discusses her new research paper exploring the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, and whether the fund could still provide a viable way to address citizen frustration with the campaign finance system.