Institute for Educators Examines Media's Effect on Public Opinion : HGSE News Feature

Institute for Educators Examines Media's Effect on Public Opinion

After the deadly shootings at Columbine High, the public turned to the news for answers and analysis. Tragedies and events of national and international importance generally engender sharp surges in viewership and circulation. But even without such events, the average American teenager watches up to seven hours of entertainment television a day, while having little exposure to ideas about how the media affects public opinion and policy.

Now a unique program for secondary school educators, The Media and American Democracy at Harvard University looks at this critical intersection of media and politics.

This week-long institute-the first of its kind-helps secondary school educators develop curriculum to fill in gaps left by many civics, journalism and history classes, by looking at questions such as:

Do "attack ads" manipulate voters?
How does the media shape public opinion?
What are the ethical issues raised by the coverage of personal lives?
How do we evaluate the accuracy of reporting on the internet?
What impact will new media have on how we elect leaders?

The Institute, sponsored by the Harvard Graduate School of Education in collaboration with the Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public, draws on the research and experience of scholars and practitioners, including Neil Postman, Marvin Kalb, New York Times reporter, Jill Abramson, MSNBC's Brian Williams and former NBC News President, Lawrence Grossman, among others.

For More Information

Contact Linda Greyser at 617-496-8227 or Christine Sanni at 617-496-5873


Events Features & Releases e-Newsletters Ed. Magazine HGSE in the Media Webcasts Harvard Education Publishing Group	News Features & Releases Institute for Educators Examines Media's Effect on Public Opinion After the deadly shootings at Columbine High, the public turned to the news for answers and analysis. Tragedies and events of national and international importance generally engender sharp surges in viewership and circulation. But even without such events, the average American teenager watches up to seven hours of entertainment television a day, while having little exposure to ideas about how the media affects public opinion and policy. Now a unique program for secondary school educators, The Media and American Democracy at Harvard University looks at this critical intersection of media and politics. This week-long institute-the first of its kind-helps secondary school educators develop curriculum to fill in gaps left by many civics, journalism and history classes, by looking at questions such as: Do "attack ads" manipulate voters? How does the media shape public opinion? What are the ethical issues raised by the coverage of personal lives? How do we evaluate the accuracy of reporting on the internet? What impact will new media have on how we elect leaders? The Institute, sponsored by the Harvard Graduate School of Education in collaboration with the Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public, draws on the research and experience of scholars and practitioners, including Neil Postman, Marvin Kalb, New York Times reporter, Jill Abramson, MSNBC's Brian Williams and former NBC News President, Lawrence Grossman, among others. For More Information Contact Linda Greyser at 617-496-8227 or Christine Sanni at 617-496-5873

News Features & Releases

Institute for Educators Examines Media's Effect on Public Opinion

For More Information