Research Center Focus: Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics, and Public Policy

At the beginning of each academic year, the research centers at Harvard Kennedy School host Open House events to introduce new and returning students to the centers’ initiatives and offerings. The Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics, and Public Policy Open House brought together many Harvard students to explore the Center’s opportunities.

The Shorenstein Center studies the information environment, including both the supply of critical information and the demand for it as audiences increasingly turn to new voices and platforms for the content they seek. The Center's work explores questions such as: What causes polarization, and how do we address it? How is trust in information broken and built? And how can people access the reliable information they need to make decisions and participate in public life? 

Communications and Events Manager Caroline Kracunas discusses the Center’s Open House and how students can get involved. 

What are you hoping students took from the Shorenstein Center’s Open House? 

We hope students came away with a sense of our excitement and dedication to this work, as well as the breadth of research and programming happening at the Center. Most importantly, we hope the event sparked their interest in some of the questions we’re exploring and helped them see ways they might engage with our work while at HKS. 

What networking opportunities did students have at this event? 

Our Open House was organized as a self-directed tour of the Center and the various projects and initiatives we support. Students could visit stations, meet the people behind the work, ask questions, and learn about opportunities to get involved. 

Stations included:

• HKS Student Policy Review

• Behavioral Insights Student Group (BISG)

• Constructive Disagreement Project

• Documentary Film in the Public Interest Initiative

• Computational Policy Lab

• Independent Media and Audience Project

This format also gave students the chance to connect directly with Shorenstein Center staff, affiliated researchers and practitioners, and fellow students who share their interests. 

What resources does the Shorenstein Center provide? 

The Shorenstein Center is dedicated to examining how media is created, distributed, and consumed—and its impacts on society. As part of that work, the Center provides financial support for student groups and second-year Master in Public Policy students writing their Policy Analysis Exercises related to these areas of study. Priority is given to projects with a strong connection to the Center’s research, including news and information distribution, media creation, media policy and regulation, civic information, tech and media, and political communication. Successful applicants can receive up to $1,000. The Center also works closely with several HKS student groups and creates opportunities for students to participate in major events and networking opportunities throughout the year. 

The Center also supports two student-focused programs: 

• The Behavioral Insights Student Group (BISG) brings together students interested in behavioral insights from across Harvard. Programming includes lunchtime speaker events, seminars with faculty, and the year-long Experimental Pitch Innovation Competition (EPIC). 

• The Student Media Initiative, which includes the Student Policy Review, gives students opportunities to gain experience and training in a variety of media formats and explore how they can be used to advance public policy understanding and debate. 

What advice would you give to students who could not attend the Open House? 

I’d encourage students to sign up for our newsletter and follow the Center’s work throughout the year. It’s a great way to get a sense of the research questions we’re exploring, learn about upcoming events and opportunities, and find ways to engage with the Center based on their own interests.