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Carolyn Schmitt

Carolyn Schmitt was a Communications Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.

She was also a researcher on the Public Discourse in the U.S. 2020 Election project. Prior to joining Berkman Klein, Carolyn worked at MIT, where she managed media relations and wrote about engineering research. She graduated with High Distinction from the University of Virginia in 2016 with a B.A. in Media Studies. At UVa, she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Media Studies Distinguished Majors Program. She is interested in the interface of journalism and digital media. 


Projects & Tools

Media Cloud

Media Cloud is an open source, open data platform that allows researchers to answer complex quantitative and qualitative questions about the content of online media.

Public Discourse in the U.S. 2020 Election

Studying digital media ecosystems and political discourse related to the U.S. presidential election


Publications

Oct 29, 2020

Polarization and the Pandemic: American Political Discourse

Public Discourse in the U.S. 2020 Election: March - May

Tracking political discourse in the U.S. for March, April, and May of 2020

Oct 22, 2020

Partisanship, Impeachment, and the Democratic Primaries: American Political Discourse

Public Discourse in the U.S. 2020 Election: January and February

Tracking political discourse in the U.S. for January and February of 2020

Oct 1, 2020

Mail-In Voter Fraud: Anatomy of a Disinformation Campaign

Working paper shows Disinformation Campaign Surrounding the Risk of Voter Fraud Associated with Mail-in Ballots Follows an Elite-Driven, Mass Media Model; Social Media Plays a Secondary Role in 2020

Working paper explores disinformation campaign about mail-in voter fraud


News

Oct 2, 2020

Tracing the disinformation campaign on mail-in voter fraud

Research shows elites, mass media play an important role in spreading voting misinformation

News
Jun 18, 2020

Technology and contact tracing

Panel offers open questions, calls for collaboration

Experts from tech and public health sectors share open questions for stakeholders engaging in tech and contact tracing

Jun 18, 2020

BKC Summer Institute teaches students about critical areas of Internet & society

Four-week educational program to take deep dive into AI principles and practice

Four week educational program to take deep dive into content, community

May 4, 2020

Challenges in Digital Technology

Reflections on pivotal moments and gradual shifts in the tech sector

Reflections on pivotal moments and gradual shifts in the tech sector

News
Apr 28, 2020

Global Perspectives on Data Collection, Contact Tracing, and COVID-19

Network of Centers discussion focuses on uses of data to combat COVID-19

Network of Centers discussion focuses on uses of data to combat COVID-19

Medium
Apr 23, 2020

Responsibly and Accurately Reporting on COVID-19 Data

“Data Overload” emphasizes challenges reporters face covering pandemic and advice for journalists

“Data Overload” emphasizes challenges reporters face covering pandemic and advice for journalists

News
Apr 20, 2020

Fairness and AI

Sandra Wachter on why fairness cannot be automated

Sandra Wachter on why fairness cannot be automated

News
Apr 10, 2020

Cyberlaw Clinic turns 20

Founded in 1999, the first-of-its-kind clinical program based at the Berkman Klein Center celebrates two decades of perpetual adaptation

Founded in 1999, the first-of-its-kind clinical program based at the Berkman Klein Center celebrates two decades of perpetual adaptation

News
Apr 6, 2020

In Principle and In Practice

Exploring AI principles from the macro- and micro-levels

Exploring AI principles from the macro- and micro-levels

Mar 31, 2020

Three new ideas for mitigating disinformation

Assembly discussion explores new ways to mitigate challenges of disinformation

Assembly discussion explores new ways to mitigate challenges of disinformation

Medium
Mar 24, 2020

Global Perspectives on COVID-19

Takeaways from a special discussion with the Global Network of Internet & Society Centers (NoC)

Takeaways from a special discussion with the Global Network of Internet & Society Centers (NoC)

Dec 19, 2019

Berkman Klein 2019 Roundup

A Twitter Thread

As 2019 comes to a close, BKC is rounding up some of the exciting things that happened around the Center this year!

Medium
Apr 25, 2019

The Role of Professional Norms in AI Governance

Some Observations and Outline of a Framework

Reflecting on professional norms that emerge around the use and development of AI

Harvard Law Today
Sep 19, 2018

The politics of Facebook and what to do about it

In this article, Carolyn Schmitt shares more on Berkman Klein Center Luncheon Series, Antisocial Media, led by Siva Vaidhyanathan.


Community

Harvard Law Today

‘Be the Twitter that you want to see in the world’

Platform governance and the 2020 Presidential Election

Nov 7, 2020
Medium

Early reflections on transitioning to online teaching

Kathy Pham discusses the shift from in-person to Zoom

Mar 12, 2020
Medium

Q&A: Misinformation and Coronavirus

We asked members of Berkman Klein’s Misinformation Working Group their thoughts about misinformation and the virus.

Jan 30, 2020
Harvard Law Today

Shedding light on fraudulent takedown notices

Berkman Klein Center’s Lumen database helps bring attention to falsified court orders

Dec 13, 2019
Harvard Law Today

The “Smart Enough” City

Can the cities of tomorrow be both technologically advanced and socially just?

The promise of Smart Cities often fails to acknowledge the complex political and social factors of cities, which may cause short and long term harms to residents and democracy

Mar 21, 2019
Harvard Law Today

Algorithms and their unintended consequences for the poor

Algorithms may be intended to have a positive impact, but what happens when the opposite occurs?

Nov 7, 2018
ICDPPC

Debating Ethics & Privacy

BKC shares insights on privacy with governments at the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners

Oct 26, 2018
Harvard Law Today

‘Network Propaganda’ takes a closer look at media and American politics

"Professional mainstream media — both in its professional centrist model, and in its highly commercially successful right-wing model — is the scaffolding on which everything else…

Oct 23, 2018
News

Evaluating the impact of artificial intelligence on human rights

Profiling six areas where current deployments of artificial intelligence are having an impact on human rights

Sep 27, 2018