The Journalist's Resource

The Journalist's Resource The Journalist’s Resource is a project of Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy.

We examine news topics through a research lens. Our mission is to inform the news by bridging the communications gap between academia and journalism. Our goal: to get more high-quality research into the media stream.

In this August 2023 piece, we look at recent research on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a major componen...
11/10/2025

In this August 2023 piece, we look at recent research on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a major component of the farm bill.



We take a look at recent research on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a major part of the farm bill.

NEW: 🔍 Understanding Food Allergies in Children This explainer takes a deep dive into various aspects of food allergies ...
11/07/2025

NEW: 🔍 Understanding Food Allergies in Children

This explainer takes a deep dive into various aspects of food allergies in children, backed by evidence-based research.

Why it matters:
This topic matters because it touches on prevention and equity. Food allergy isn’t just a medical issue; it’s a family, public health and policy issue.

Key takeaways:
• Amplify not only what works (early food introduction guidelines) but also who’s being left behind.
• Ask: Are schools and childcare settings equipped (staff training, epinephrine access, allergen-safe protocols)?
• Consider: How are racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities showing up in allergy diagnostics, treatment access, and outcomes?

➡️ For a deeper dive, check out the full explainer 👇



New evidence suggests that introducing common sources of food allergies in the first year of life is associated with reductions in new cases in children. But prevention is only part of the story.

NEW: The Supreme Court’s latest tariff case could reshape how much power presidents have — and what counts as a “major q...
11/05/2025

NEW: The Supreme Court’s latest tariff case could reshape how much power presidents have — and what counts as a “major question.”

Today, the Court is hearing Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump, a case testing whether the president can use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping tariffs.

At stake: not only President Trump’s tariff regime, but the balance of power between Congress, the executive branch, and federal agencies that make up what scholars call the administrative state.

In a new piece for The Journalist’s Resource, senior editor Clark Merrefield shares three key takeaways for journalists covering this case and others involving executive power:

1️⃣ The “administrative state” has existed since the nation’s founding — it’s not a “deep state.”
2️⃣ A ruling against Trump wouldn’t end tariffs altogether — other trade laws could still apply.
3️⃣ The justices’ questions during oral arguments may reveal whether the Court views tariffs as a foreign or domestic policy issue — and how that shapes its application of the major questions doctrine.

🧠 Co-hosted with Econofact, the webinar behind this piece featured experts Naomi Lamoreaux (Yale), Oren Tamir (University of Arizona), and Michael Klein (Tufts University).

📖 Read the full piece: https://journalistsresource.org/economics/supreme-court-administrative-state-tariff-webinar/

Here's what journalists covering the legal saga over Trump administration tariffs need to know from our webinar with Econofact.

Who really controls the National Guard — and when can a president take command?When President Trump recently ordered Nat...
11/04/2025

Who really controls the National Guard — and when can a president take command?

When President Trump recently ordered National Guard troops to several U.S. cities, governors and courts pushed back — reviving century-old questions about who has the authority to deploy America’s state-based military force.

Our latest Journalist’s Resource explainer traces the Guard’s legal and historical roots — from the Militia Act of 1903 and Insurrection Act to today’s court battles over federalization. It breaks down:
🪖 When the president can override governors
⚖️ The limits set by the Posse Comitatus Act
📜 How the Guard evolved from colonial militias to a dual state-federal force

As lawsuits over recent deployments move through the courts, this piece helps reporters — and readers — understand what’s at stake in the balance of state and federal power.

President Trump has deployed or threatened to deploy the National Guard to U.S. cities. Learn the history and legal authorities of these troops.

We explain how ACA health insurance marketplaces work, why enrollment has grown recently, what's at the heart of the US ...
11/03/2025

We explain how ACA health insurance marketplaces work, why enrollment has grown recently, what's at the heart of the US government shutdown and what's at stake for consumers.

Here's how ACA marketplaces work, why enrollment has grown recently and what's at the heart of the US government shutdown.

This May 2025 explainer breaks down what’s at stake for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — the feder...
10/31/2025

This May 2025 explainer breaks down what’s at stake for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — the federal program that helps more than 40 million Americans buy food.

The piece unpacks:
🍎 What the proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act would change, including new work requirements and shifting costs to states.
📊 How many people could lose benefits (up to 5.4 million per month).
🏛️ How SNAP fits into the farm bill and federal budget debates.
🔍 What research says about SNAP’s broader effects on employment, health, child development, and hunger.



Here's what journalists need to know to bolster their reporting on potential cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Federal datasets have been manipulated and removed since the beginning of the Trump administration and continue to be un...
10/31/2025

Federal datasets have been manipulated and removed since the beginning of the Trump administration and continue to be under threat. In this piece, three data experts explain the critical consequences of this loss.

Three data experts explain the critical consequences of the manipulation and removal of federal data in recent months.

NEW: President Donald Trump has deployed or threatened to deploy National Guard troops to several major U.S. cities. Jou...
10/30/2025

NEW: President Donald Trump has deployed or threatened to deploy National Guard troops to several major U.S. cities. Journalists who know the history and legal authorities of these troops can offer audiences context on the deployments.

President Trump has deployed or threatened to deploy the National Guard to U.S. cities. Learn the history and legal authorities of these troops.

In this 2023 piece, we look at research on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a major component of the farm ...
10/29/2025

In this 2023 piece, we look at research on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a major component of the farm bill coming up for renewal in September.

We take a look at recent research on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a major part of the farm bill.

NEW: Use these story ideas to educate your audiences about school counselors' influence on students' mental health, acad...
10/28/2025

NEW: Use these story ideas to educate your audiences about school counselors' influence on students' mental health, academic achievement and college plans and the challenges counselors must overcome to do their work.

We created this list of story ideas to encourage journalists to think more deeply about the role of school counselors.

It's unlikely journalists will stop covering elections as a competitive game, despite researchers' warnings that it can ...
10/27/2025

It's unlikely journalists will stop covering elections as a competitive game, despite researchers' warnings that it can harm voters and others. Two scholars offer ideas for at least improving so-called 'horse race' reporting.

Journalists cover elections as a competitive game, despite the consequences. We asked scholars how to at least improve "horse race" coverage.

In this 2021 piece, prominent science journalists Deborah Blum, Cristine Russell and Brooke Borel offer advice to help n...
10/24/2025

In this 2021 piece, prominent science journalists Deborah Blum, Cristine Russell and Brooke Borel offer advice to help newsrooms avoid common mistakes in writing headlines about health and medical research.



Prominent science journalists offer advice to help newsrooms avoid common mistakes in writing headlines about health and medical research.

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