The pandemic’s harms to children – in the form of learning loss, stymied socialization and mental health troubles – have been well-documented. At the same time, in the long run, the pandemic will likely be a catalyst for bridging the nation’s digital divide.

To address the present dysfunction in the social media information ecosystem, policymakers should prioritize expanding the use of credibility labels.

During Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen's testimony to Congress last week, multiple Senators compared Big Tech to Big Tobacco. If this analogy is prescient, then regulation and legislation will only go so far in curbing the harms caused by social media.

Today, the largest social media companies are subject to limited federal oversight in the United States. But that is likely to change soon.

The spread of mis- and disinformation in the American media ecosystem undermines effective governance and a functional democracy. How did we get here? And what is our way out?

To assess the scope of QAnon’s support, and to identify common demographic and psychographic characteristics of QAnon supporters, I analyzed survey data collected by the Pew Research Center between August 31, 2020 – September 7, 2020.

For years, executives at big tech firms have pointed to a “limited pool of Black talent” to excuse the persistent underrepresentation of African Americans in their companies. But recent data illuminates the shortcomings of this oft-cited explanation.

I had a chance to speak with Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, a University Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine at Columbia University, about her career accomplishments, and how her experience working on the HIV pandemic has prepared her for COVID-19.

Online platforms like Facebook and Google make money by collecting user data and selling it to advertisers. At the federal level, existing regulations do little to limit what data these companies are able to collect, and with whom they can share it. A federal data privacy law would not only give consumers more control over their data, but also limit the effectiveness of online disinformation campaigns.

New York City’s public schools have among the highest rates of teacher attrition in the country. Frequent turnover has contributed to a teacher shortage in the city. A strategic investment in a year-long teacher residency program would address the shortage by producing a consistent pipeline of high-quality teachers.

Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act (CDA) exempts providers of an interactive computer service, such as social media platforms, from legal liability for user-generated content. It also allows platforms to moderate content as they see fit without fear of being sued.

Andres Chong-Qui Torres (MPA ’19) arrived at SIPA in fall of 2017 eager to make a difference. Prior to attending Graduate school, Torres worked as an organizer for Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012, and served for three years as an Obama White House Appointee at the U.S. Treasury Department. He wanted to continue his public service work at SIPA. The only question was how.

In my mid-20’s, I hit a rough stretch with basketball. My recreation team disbanded as people left Boston. The Nets continued to languish, with little sign of hope for the future. And my burgeoning passion for politics and social justice began to supplant my enthusiasm for sports. But in that process, I developed a newfound appreciation for the league, and the sport, I fell in love with as a kid.

In her thorough dissection of the policies that fueled the axiomatic rise in black incarceration in the final decades of the 20th century, Elizabeth Hinton traces the origins of the modern carceral state back to the social welfare programs of the early 1960’s.

Our understanding of the novel coronavirus – its transmissibility, symptoms, and potential treatments and vaccines – is fluid. The Republican playbook for responding to, and communicating about, the crisis has become clear.

It occurred to me early Tuesday morning, amid the national media backlash over the reporting delay and dysfunction in Iowa, that my first caucus may very well be the last one Iowa ever hosts.

The Polk County campaign staff was tasked with coordinating the event. I had two “official” jobs: Sign people in when they arrived, and secure caucus commitments from voters during and after the event. My third job: Meet the Senator.

Today, 45 percent of U.S. adults ages 19 to 64, or 87 million people, are either underinsured or have no insurance at all. What is the best policy to ensure adequate, dependable coverage for those 87 million Americans?

New figures from the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that income inequality in the United States has reached its highest level ever. Lurking beneath the headline numbers of GDP and unemployment are reminders that the country’s gains have been unevenly distributed.

The results of the 2018 midterms, a resounding Democrat victory in key races in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, should provide comfort to Democrats. But it means nothing for 2020 if the right strategy is not employed to flip working-class Trump voters, and increase voter turnout.

65 years after Brown v. Board of Education, our suburbs are more racially integrated than in previous decades, but still profoundly segregated from town to town: Low-income and nonwhite families live in communities with fewer white residents and lower-performing schools.

Today, public trust in government is as low as it has ever been. The rise of fear-based news, the proliferation of social media, and the government’s faulty track record in recent decades have all contributed to the current climate.