Digital Fuel of the 21st Century: Innovation through Open Data and the Network Effect

The information economy is bringing a shift in power from large institutions to individuals, argues Vivek Kundra in a new Shorenstein Center paper based on interviews and research that Kundra conducted while serving as a Fall 2011 Fellow.
Paper | Press Release  

Fall 2011 Newsletter

The Shorenstein Center announces the release of the Fall 2011 Newsletter, with reports on the 25th anniversary celebration, the Salant Lecture with Clay Shirky, fall Fellows, the Communications Program, and the Theodore H. White Lecture with Andrew Sullivan.  

New Video!

Rebecca MacKinnon and Abderrahim Foukara spoke as part of the Shorenstein Center's 25th anniversary celebration. MacKinnon is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation and the co-founder of Global Voices. Abderrahim Foukara is the Washington bureau chief for Al Jazeera and a former BBC producer and reporter.  

It's time for an honest tax debate

Shorenstein Center Fellow Nina Easton writes in Fortune magazine about the need for discussion of taxes, "without the politically-opportune myths."

Former Fellow Geoff Cowan quoted in The New York Times: "A Retreat for the Rich and Powerful Is Opening Its Doors to the World"

Nazila Fathi, spring 2012 Fellow, called Iran a "country of contrasts for 30 years": "Fathi speaks on Iran's supreme leader after the 2009 uprising"

In The New Yorker, former Fellow Hendrik Hertzberg: "Perry's Good Idea"

Susan Crawford, Visiting Stanton Professor, in Bloomberg View: "Google Plays Both Sides in the Web Piracy Fight"

Neal Gabler, former Fellow, in The New York Times: "One Percent Education"

Former Fellow Michael Tomasky in The Daily Beast: "Newt's Fury Triumphs in South Carolina Primary"

In The Boston Globe, former Fellow Ellen Goodman: "Assault on reproductive rights"

Spring 2012 Visiting Murrow Lecturer Micah Sifry on why PIPA and SOPA should be defeated: "Why We're Against PIPA/SOPA And For the Internet"

Journalist's Resource is curating research studies that provide perspective on the 2012 presidential race. We'll add studies that line up with the calendar and provide context; additionally, we'll spotlight emerging issues in the blogosphere as scholars weigh in.  

Apply to be a Research Assistant for media project, Journalist's Resource.org

Students will search academic literature for studies that have insights and data relevant to news topics, and they will draft summaries of studies and reports, earning bylines for posts. See the project here, then send your resume to john_wihbey@hks.harvard.edu by Monday, January 30 at 4pm.

Communications Program at the Shorenstein Center

Jeffrey Seglin is the director of the Program. Learn more:

Communications Courses

Communications Workshops

Writing Consultants

New video, recaps, audio and transcripts now available for 25th anniversary events 

Salant Lecture on Freedom of the Press by Clay Shirky

Click here for recap, audio, video and transcript.

Winners of the video contest: "What Is the Future of News?"

Catherine Orr and Elena Rue were the winners for their video, "Sharing." Finalists were Lujain Ismail Shafeeq and David Porter. Click here to see all three videos