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FEBRUARY 12, 2026 |
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Harvard Kennedy School | | | |
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The Washington Post Building in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) | | |
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Media |
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What staff cuts at the Washington Post mean for the media |
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Roughly a third of staff at the Washington Post were laid off last week. HKS Professor Thomas Patterson explains this new development in what has been a long-term trend of cutbacks in the news industry. Patterson explains that almost all newspapers in the United States are in trouble as revenue models fail. “The long-term challenge for news outlets is really the business model,” he says. In addition, “newspapers have really cut back on their coverage and shrunk the number of pages and, with that, the amount of news they’re providing to the local community.”
Learn more about Media at HKS » | | |
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Democracy & governance |
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“From ‘Bowling Alone’ to scrolling alone” |
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Spencer Cox, the governor of Utah, and Jake Auchincloss, a congressman from Massachusetts, kicked off the spring semester at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum with a conversation on breaking partisan divides and the role of social media in driving isolation. They tackled national division, the “atomization” of our communities and public life, and the impact of social media, especially on young people. “We should be telling people to go and change their neighborhoods, to focus there, and to serve and give back. Volunteer at the local food bank. Go ask your neighbor how they’re doing,” Cox said. “Ultimately, that is how we change the world—by strengthening our communities.”
Learn more about Democracy & Governance at HKS » | | |
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What we're Reading |
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With the end of New START, a key nuclear arms reduction treaty, HKS Belfer Center experts explain what happens next. | | |
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