Media Manipulation Casebook Launched by Shorenstein Center

Harvard Kennedy School Launches New Platform to Combat Disinformation

Researchers at Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center have unveiled a new digital research platform designed to combat the growing threat of disinformation and media manipulation. The Media Manipulation Casebook, launched by the Center’s Technology and Social Change project (TaSC), serves as an open-access resource for researchers, journalists, and policymakers working to understand how false information spreads online.

The platform, available at mediamanipulation.org, provides comprehensive tools for analyzing online political communication and offers frameworks for policymakers addressing threats to democracy, public health, and civil society.

“When we began developing the casebook, it was imperative that it be useful for all who research and report on media and technology,” explained Joan Donovan, PhD, Research Director of the Shorenstein Center and leader of the TaSC project. “We also took seriously the challenges of writing about disinformation campaigns and communicating that to a lay audience, so we developed a life cycle model as a blueprint for writing about these attacks.”

This innovative lifecycle model enables researchers to document the full arc of manipulation campaigns—from their origins through execution to public and institutional responses—providing a structured approach to understanding disinformation tactics.

The platform launches with 14 detailed case studies but has ambitious expansion plans. Over the next two years, researchers aim to build a collection of 100 case studies examining disinformation and media manipulation campaigns worldwide. Through collaborations with regional and subject matter experts, the Casebook will create a comprehensive global repository documenting how media manipulation manifests across different contexts and cultures.

“Only by conducting basic research on the problem posed by new communications technology can we begin to assess the true costs of misinformation on journalists, public health, and its geopolitical implications for national security,” Donovan notes.

The timing of this initiative reflects growing concern about the impact of disinformation on democratic processes, public health messaging, and social cohesion globally. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how rapidly false information can spread and the real-world consequences when disinformation influences public behavior during crises.

The TaSC project brings together an interdisciplinary team spanning journalism, social science, and computer science—a reflection of how combating disinformation requires expertise across multiple domains. This collaborative approach enables researchers to analyze both the technical aspects of how manipulation spreads online and the social contexts that make certain communities vulnerable to disinformation campaigns.

For journalists covering disinformation, the Casebook offers methodologies to identify, track, and report on manipulation campaigns. Policymakers can use these case studies to inform evidence-based approaches to regulating online platforms and protecting democratic processes. Researchers gain access to standardized frameworks for studying emerging patterns of manipulation.

The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy has long been at the forefront of examining media’s impact on governance and society. Based at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Center conducts research, offers academic courses, hosts fellows, and engages with journalists and scholars to advance understanding of media and technology’s role in the public sphere.

As disinformation continues to challenge democratic institutions worldwide, initiatives like the Media Manipulation Casebook represent critical infrastructure for researchers, journalists, and policymakers working to build resilience against manipulation campaigns. By documenting tactics, tracking evolving threats, and developing shared methodologies, the platform aims to strengthen collective defenses against one of the defining challenges of our digital age.