Syracuse University will open D.C. center to promote civil debate, fight disinformation

S.I. Newhouse Shool of Public Communications

The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University will open a new center in Washington, D.C., with SU's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com

Washington – Syracuse University plans to expand its presence in the nation’s capital this fall with the ambitious goal of tackling some of the biggest issues ailing American democracy.

SU said it will open a new center tasked with promoting civil discourse at a time when the nation’s hyper-partisan politics have splintered communities and families.

The Center for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship also will work to restore trust in government, the nation’s political system and journalism, university officials said.

To accomplish its goal, SU said it will tap two of its most prestigious schools to work together on the project.

The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, one of the top journalism schools in the country, will join forces with the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the nation’s No. 1-ranked public administration school, to operate the new center in Washington, D.C.

Mark Lodato, dean of the Newhouse School, told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that SU leaders decided it was important to take on the issues during a critical time for American democracy.

“Obviously, there are some serious challenges facing our country today,” Lodato said. “But Syracuse University is not going to sit idly by and watch.”

SU will bring together experts to examine why public trust in government and journalism has declined, identify sources of disinformation, suggest how to combat disinformation, and develop ideas to expose the public to a larger variety of information, Lodato said.

“I think it’s critical that we do everything we can to restore trust in journalism, given the importance that it plays in our democracy,” Lodato said. “We’re not naive either. There are significant problems in our country and we’re not going to solve all of these problems right out of the gate.”

David Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School, said it makes sense to combine the strengths of the two schools to try to solve the problems.

“I think as a university we have a real concern about free speech and the fact that polarization is inhibiting our ability to have a dialogue,” Van Slyke said in an interview.

An initial goal of the center will be to foster constructive debate on the divisive issues facing the nation.

“We want to show it’s possible to have respectful, civil discussion,” Lodato said. “It’s an area we believe we need to return to in order to have true progress in our society.”

Lodato said the center will host prominent speakers at public events in Washington in an effort to lead a national dialogue on the challenges facing American democracy.

Those public conversations will be one of the four key pillars of the Center for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship.

The center also will sponsor scholarly and applied research, provide students with an opportunity to spend a semester in Washington, and focus on teaching and instruction. Visiting fellows or Syracuse-based faculty will have a chance to participate in the project.

SU’s goal is to spark a conversation that leads to more engaged and better- informed citizens, Lodato said.

It’s a challenge at a time when many Americans can’t agree on a common set of facts and trust in the news media and public institutions has eroded.

A Pew Research Center survey last year found a growing partisan divide in trust of national news organizations.

The percentage of Republicans who said they trust national news organizations declined from 70% in 2016 to 35% in 2021.

About 78% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they have “a lot” or “some” trust in the information reported by national news organizations.

At the same time, public trust in government is near historic lows in the United States.

Only 21% of Americans said they trust the government in Washington to do what is right, according to a June report from Pew Research Center.

Lodato said he envisions the new center serving as a hub for students, faculty and staff to engage with leaders in government and the news media in Washington, D.C.

SU has more than 31,000 alumni and donors in Washington, its third-largest alumni base in the nation. Many of those alums are Maxwell and Newhouse graduates who work in key positions in Congress, the federal government and the news media.

The Maxwell School already has a graduate program in Washington, where it offers an executive master’s degree in international relations as part of a joint program with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Maxwell shares office space at the CSIS headquarters in downtown Washington.

SU is searching for additional office space to house the new center in Washington. The university has no plans to construct its own building, Van Slyke said.

He said the university wants to launch the center this fall with a small staff that will include an executive director, a research director, and a managing director for journalism.

SU received a $1 million endowment to support the center from Larry Kramer, a 1972 Newhouse graduate and the former president and publisher of USA Today.

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