THE KENNEDY SCHOOL’S Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy reflects the School’s digital-era transformation. The center has broadened its focus well beyond legacy newspapers and broadcasters to take on research projects on digital-heavy subjects, such as how news media should handle disinformation and how to document the impact of digital technology on users. Shorenstein Center Director Nancy Gibbs, the Visiting Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice, is focused on addressing the digital changes roiling the media world and assessing strategic policy options that protect democratic values.

One focal point is online misinformation. Matthew Baum, the Marvin Kalb Professor of Global Communications, says the first step in addressing misinformation should be evidence-based research on the impact of false or misleading information on users. Among his investigations is a project gauging the effects on people in several countries who use digital communication tools such as WhatsApp. Another research project will study the influence that both fact-checked and non-fact-checked information have on people’s political views “because you have to know the dogs that didn’t bark as well as the ones that do,” says Baum.