Media and Democratic Systems of Governance

As an institution, the news media in the United States has undergone a major transformation over the last two decades.   Not only does the public now have a much wider range of choice of news outlets, but there has also been a shift from descriptive news to interpretative news.  This institutional shift has dramatic implications for the public, for politicians, and for policy.   CSDI’s research agenda involves examining the importance and influence of the news media in this new environment and our interest extends to the mass media in general, including political advertising, the World Wide Web, and the rise of social media.  We seek to explore the consequences of living in an information environment that runs 24 hours a day and 7 days a week on the conduct and performance of other political institutions, whether it be Congress, the Presidency or the Courts so as to better appreciate the workings of politics in the 21st Century.