Events

October 1, 2026, 6:30pm EDT

📍The Paley Museum, 25 West 52 Street, NYC

The 2026 midterm elections promise to be unlike any congressional contest in American history. With control of the House and Senate at stake, the elections will help determine the nation’s political direction for the next two years. Campaigns and voters are navigating an increasingly fragmented information environment, where traditional news organizations, television, podcasts, social media, and digital creators all play a role in shaping political conversations and public understanding. Against a backdrop of intense debate over the economy, jobs, immigration, health care, climate change, and other pressing issues, the program will examine how these forces are shaping the issues, narratives, and voter decision-making at the center of the race.

For the latest installment of its annual Media Impact Series, the Paley Center is gathering leading journalists, political strategists, and scholars to explore how campaigns and political parties are working to reach and persuade voters, the growing influence of digital creators and alternative news platforms, and the challenges of navigating misinformation, competing narratives, and shifting levels of trust in news. The panel will also examine what the election could mean for the country’s future and America’s standing in the world.

October 15, 2026‍
‍8:30 a.m. Doors Open & Breakfast Reception
‍9:00 a.m. Program begins
‍10:00 a.m. Program wraps

📍1333 New Hampshire
Avenue NW, Rooftop
Washington, DC 20036

Join The Washington Post for Verified Live: Creators & Campaigns, a morning conversation exploring the growing role of creators in politics ahead of the midterm elections, hosted by Syracuse University at its D.C. Center in Dupont Circle.

Creators are no longer just giving candidates and causes a platform to reach new audiences. They’re increasingly stepping into roles as campaign surrogates, strategists, advisors – and even candidates themselves – as campaigns navigate a fast-changing media landscape.

For the debut Verified Live event, Washington Post creator host Dylan Wells will lead a conversation with political creator and attorney Cheyenne Hunt; Federal Election Commission Chair Shana M. Broussard; and creators and political strategists Annie Wu Henry and Mer Hersam.

Local journalism is at a critical moment.

At our recent panel, moderated by Merrill Brown, media leaders Audrey Cooper (Baltimore Banner), Scott Brodbeck (Local News Now), Marcos Marin (El Tiempo Latino), and Christina Sturdivant Sani (The 51st) discussed the future of local journalism across the DMV.

The conversation highlighted how entrepreneurs and newsroom leaders are launching new models, products, and services to better serve diverse communities—and reshape the region’s information ecosystem.

Want to learn more? Click the image to watch the recording.

A special screening of the new politics and social media thriller, PH-1, followed by a Q&A with actor-director Mark Kassen, co-founder of A Starting Point, happened on March 3, 2026 at the Newhouse School. The event was co-hosted by IDJC and the Bleier Center for Television and Pop Culture.

🎬 WHAT:  PH-1’s plot focuses on a politician, trapped in his penthouse and set up to be taken down by social media and conventional media, figuring out who’s out to get him and how to stop them.

In this “ask me anything” session, Samantha Ragland of the American Press Institute will recount takeaways from recent API Local News Summits on local identity and history and civic discourse across generations. And with the help of Kwasi Hope, historian and creator of Hidden History, they will situate those practical takeaways in the context of a rising trend: collaborations between local media and local influencers.

The American Press Institute and the Syracuse University Institute for Democracy, Journalism & Citizenship are collaborating on this session, following IDJC’s sponsorship of API Local News Summit on Inclusion, Belonging and Local Leadership in 2025.

IDJC Kramer Director Margaret Talev turned the stage over to BBC’s The Global Story hosts Asma Khalid and Tristan Redman to discuss the intertwined story of America and the world at this seismic moment in history with guests, students and the public.

The co-hosts were joined by Emma Ashford (senior fellow at Stimson Center and author) and Tom Bateman (BBC State Department Correspondent) for a wide-ranging conversation on power, policy and a world in flux.

Watch the episode anywhere you get your podcasts.

The Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship (IDJC) is launching something new: the first-ever  SU in DC Business Closet. This resource will provide professional attire to students studying in Washington, helping them make confident first impressions at interviews, internships, and networking events. 

We need your help to stock the closet and help Orange students succeed in the nation’s capital! Join us for a clothing collection drive  January 26-29 at the Greenberg Lounge and Welcome Center (first floor of the SU in DC building).

Questions about what to donate? Visit our clothing donation FAQ for guidelines on the types of items we’re seeking.

IDJC Visiting Fellow Miranda Spivack joined Kramer Director Margaret Talev for a conversation on transparency, accountability, and accidental activists fighting to make a difference in their communities.

The discussion highlighted Miranda’s ideas for the Toolkit for Democracy — an app that could serve as a collaborative effort to make government and law more accessible to everyone.

Monday, November 10, 2025

This event was made possible by the Roger Herz ’55 Democracy Series Support Fund.

The Fratelli Group and the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship on hosted a late morning panel discussion on the state of media relations in Washington, DC and beyond.

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Moderated by Frances Cox

Panelists: Kirsten Eddy (Pew Research), María Molina (Washington correspondent for LA FM of RCN Radio in Colombia), Margaret Talev (IDJC Kramer Director)

Monday, October 27, 2025

Moderated by IDJC Visiting Fellow Nathaniel Rakich

Panelists: Election analysts – Bridget Bowman (NBC News), J. Miles Coleman (Sabato’s Crystal Ball), and Erin Covey (Cook Political Report)

This event was made possible by the Roger Herz ’55 Democracy Series Support Fund.

Monday, September 8, 2025 

A night of hot, fresh popcorn and thought-provoking conversation about the intersection of power, politics, media and community. Our guests were the wife-and-husband duo of Sarabeth Berman, CEO of the American Journalism Project, the first venture philanthropy dedicated to saving local news, and journalist Evan Osnos, staff writer for The New Yorker and author of one of our favorite books of the year, “The Haves and Have-Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultrarich.” 

This event was made possible by the Roger Herz ’55 Democracy Series Support Fund.

Thursday, July 24 from 8:30am-4pm EST

Co-Hosted by: Office of Research and Creative Activity  and the Institute for Democracy, Journalism, & Citizenship

Thursday, May 15

The dinner featured a conversation between IDJC’s director, Margaret Talev, and SU’s head football coach, Francis Brown Sr., on the role of athletes as engaged citizens. Thirteen student athletes who participated in a week-long immersion also joined and networked with alum.

Hosted by: Newhouse School of Public Communications

Introduction: Steven Portnoy ’03

Conversation: Featured Guest Maribel Perez Wadsworth and Moderator Boris Sanchez ’09

Presenter: Margaret Talev

Oct. 21 at 6pm ET

Moderators: Margaret Talev and Roslyn Mazer

Guests: Matt Wuerker, editorial cartoonist and illustrator, POLITICO

Ann Telnaes, editorial cartoonist, The Washington Post

Michael Ramirez, editorial cartoonist, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Pedro X. Molina, Counterpoint Media and Confidencial, Nicaragua

Award-winning cartoonists Vladimir Kazanevsky (Ukraine) and Rachita Taneja (India) also will discuss their work and persistent threats to cartoonists around the world.

Co-sponsors: The Herb Block Foundation, POLITICO

Partners: Cartoonist Rights, Association of American Editorial Cartoons (AAEC), Freedom Cartoonists Foundation

Thursday Oct. 10 at 10 a.m. EDT, virtually and in Washington, D.C.

RSVP link

Lecture

Co-sponsor: Partnership for Public Service

Host: MikeTirico ’88, play-by-play commentator with NBC Sports

Panel: Seismic Shifts: The Changing Landscape of College Sports

Moderator: Margaret Talev

Panelists: James Phillips, commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Felisha Legette-Jack ’89, Syracuse University women’s basketball coach, and MikeTirico

Hosted by: Newhouse School of Public Communications

Speaker: Margaret Talev

Guest Speaker

Moderator: Beverly Kirk and an introduction by Margaret Talev

Informal gathering for journalists

Moderator: Margaret Talev

Moderator: Margaret Talev

Guests: Josh Gerstein, Alex Ward and Peter Canellos of Politico and Phil Williams of WTVF-TV

Moderator: Margaret Talev

Panelists: Paul Smith, senior vice president, Campaign Legal Center • Mary McCord, executive director, Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection; visiting professor, Georgetown University Law Center • Johanna Dunaway, professor of political science, Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs; IDJC research director • Joshua Darr, associate professor of communications, Syracuse University Newhouse School of Communications; IDJC senior researcher

Syracuse University’s Autonomous Systems Policy Institute (ASPI) and Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship (IDJC) held a two-day AI Policy Symposium Oct. 26-27, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The event included a lunch reception on Capitol Hill with members of Congress and staff, followed by a plenary session on AI Policy. The program included panels on The Future of the Workforce and Labor Policy, and AI and the 2024 Election.

Cocktails & Politics Series

“Cocktails and Politics with Margaret Talev”

Moderator: Margaret Talev

Hosted by: Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship

Guests: Vermilion’s Rohini Dey and Axios Chicago’s Monica Eng

Moderator and panelist: Margaret Talev

Democracy, Sports & the Media (with ESPN’s Dalen Cuff, The New York Times’ Clyde McGrady and author and journalist Chris Cillizza)

Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference

Innovation in Journalism panelist: Margaret Talev

Host: Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

Guest lecture on engaging the media: Margaret Talev

Hosted by: Partnership for Public Service

Moderator of “Perceptions of Government” online panel: Margaret Talev

Karsh Institute of Democracy

Panelist: Margaret Talev

Hosted by: Newhouse School of Public Communications

Moderator: Margaret Talev

Hosted by: Syracuse University

Co-moderator: Margaret Talev

Hosted by: Newhouse School of Public Communications

Speaker: Margaret Talev

Host and moderator: Margaret Talev

(with sportscaster Bob Costas ’74, political commentator Van Jones and other guests)