Dugger Wins Fellowship for Study At K-School's Shorenstein Center

Ronnie Dugger, founder and onetime publisher and owner of the Texas Observer, will be spending the upcoming academic year at the Joan Shorenstein-Barone Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government.

The Shorenstein Center, which names six fellows each semester, has invited Dugger to be an associate for the fall semester in addition to his term as a fellow next spring, according to Edie Holway, administrator for programs fellows at the Shorenstein Center.

"We try to have an equal number of scholars as well as practitioners in the field of journalism or political science with an emphasis on the press," Holway said.

"[Dugger is] a prominent journalist and the thinks a lot about issues that we're interested in," she added.

"My purpose is fundamentally to learn," Dugger said of his upcoming stay at the Shorenstein Center.

"The reason that I wanted to come to Harvard is that I have a lot more to learn. If I don't know what I need to know now, I don't know if I ever will," hesaid. "I want to go back to school, back tolibraries and I particularly hope to meet withfaculty who know what I need to know."

As an associate during the fall semester,Dugger will be focusing his research "on theabsence of serious public policy information ordebate on national television."

Dugger said he has been working with severalpeople in the media industry in order to puttogether a proposal for a formal monthly debate onnational television which would cover politicalissues he said have been neglected.

"I have received significant support fromwithin the national networks, but am still working[on the proposal] and would welcome anysuggestions, input and assistance," Dugger said.

Dugger's spring semester as a fellow of theShorenstein Center "will mean participating in theactivities of the center," he said.

Dugger will work on a 30 to 40 page paper whichwill be published by the Shorenstein Center andwill "concentrate on media ownership and remediesfor it--for example, asking what the FirstAmendment does and does not mean."

Dugger founded the Texas Observer in 1954 andedited the publication for eight years. Hepublished it for 30 years, until he passedownership to the Texas Democracy Foundation, whichpresently administrates publication of thenewspaper. Dugger is the author of numerous booksand articles which have appeared in publicationsfrom The New York Times to the Bulletin of theAtomic Scientists. He has also taught at theUniversity of Virginia, Hampshire College, theUniversity of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and theUniversity of California at Los Angeles

As an associate during the fall semester,Dugger will be focusing his research "on theabsence of serious public policy information ordebate on national television."

Dugger said he has been working with severalpeople in the media industry in order to puttogether a proposal for a formal monthly debate onnational television which would cover politicalissues he said have been neglected.

"I have received significant support fromwithin the national networks, but am still working[on the proposal] and would welcome anysuggestions, input and assistance," Dugger said.

Dugger's spring semester as a fellow of theShorenstein Center "will mean participating in theactivities of the center," he said.

Dugger will work on a 30 to 40 page paper whichwill be published by the Shorenstein Center andwill "concentrate on media ownership and remediesfor it--for example, asking what the FirstAmendment does and does not mean."

Dugger founded the Texas Observer in 1954 andedited the publication for eight years. Hepublished it for 30 years, until he passedownership to the Texas Democracy Foundation, whichpresently administrates publication of thenewspaper. Dugger is the author of numerous booksand articles which have appeared in publicationsfrom The New York Times to the Bulletin of theAtomic Scientists. He has also taught at theUniversity of Virginia, Hampshire College, theUniversity of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and theUniversity of California at Los Angeles