DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy

In her recent article Shared values, clashing goals:  Journalism and Open Government, Knight professor Sarah Cohen identifies five emerging issues that “make some journalists worry about open government initia­tives and open government advocates worry about journalists.” Cohen provides background on the evolution of the modern open government movement and investigative journalism, and draws upon recent examples of accountability reporting and government transparency initiatives to examine the similarities and differences emerging between these social actors.  Cohen’s article is published in XRDS: Crossroads, The ACM Magazine for Students – CS in Service of Democracy, Volume 18 Issue 2, Winter 2011.

In the Fall 2011 edition of Sanford Insights, Jay Hamilton’s research with the FCC is featured in Closing the Gap in Public Interest Journalism (p. 16), and Sarah Cohen’s new research program is introduced, along with new researchers Tyler Dukes and Charlie Szymanski, in Reporter’s Lab: Support for Public Affairs Journalism (p. 17).  In the same issue, John Burness is interviewed on  Leadership & Higher Ed (p. 19).

Journalism of Economic Crisis, PUBPOL 195S.12, Philip Bennett  Seminar explores how the news media has covered periods of economic crisis.

Investigative Reporting, PUBPOL 195S.18, Sarah Cohen (Duke), and Ryan Thornburg (UNC)  A collaborative effort with UNC, seminar introduces the essential elements of investigative reporting, from core skills to its role in a democratic society.

Documentary and South Africa: Whose (Hi)Story is it Anyway?, DOCST 190S.03, PUBPOL 195s.06, Roger Lucey  Explores how the story of the South African struggle was told by competing media in the years leading up to the first Democratic election, and challenges faced by media since then.

Crash: The Intersection of Politics, Policy and the Media, PUBPOL 195s.20, taught by Michael Schoenfeld  Examines decision-making at the intersection of politics, public policy and media, drawing upon real-world and real-time examples and case studies, readings, and prominent guest speakers. Continue reading →

Professors Sarah Cohen and Jay Hamilton, together with Fred Turner of Stanford University, published an article entitled “Computational Journalism” in the October, 2011 issue of Communications of the ACM, (Vol. 54 No. 10, Pages 66-71).  The article explores “how computer scientists can empower journalists, democracy’s watchdogs, in the production of news in the public interest.”