Philip M. Napoli

The second Trump administration has figured out how to add some new wrinkles to its assault-on-journalism playbook, writes Philip M. Napoli.

In the latest episode of Sanford's Policy 360 podcast professors Jonathan Mattingly (Mathematics) and Asher Hildebrand (Public Policy) focus on increasing pressures on st

Abstract. One defining characteristic of contemporary news and information ecosystems is the increasingly blurred line separating legitimate journalism from partisan political influence operations. While the First Amendment limits government interventions on this front, there is one seldom-discussed federal mechanism for bringing greater clarity to the question of whether an entity is operating as a news organization or a political influence operation. The Federal Election Commission (FEC), which regulates House, Senate, and presidential political campaigns, possesses the authority to determine whether an organization represents a legitimate press entity and its activities represent legitimate press functions, or whether it runs political influence operations in the guise of journalism. This “press exemption” represents an important and underutilized mechanism for bringing greater clarity and transparency to contemporary news and information ecosystems. This article utilizes a critical analysis of key FEC press exemption decisions to illustrate how the FEC brings inadequate analytical rigor to its responsibility to administer the press exemption. It describes enhanced analytical approaches that the FEC can employ when making press exemption determinations. Finally, it offers a roadmap for how the FEC can use its authority to address one of the key challenges confronting our news and information ecosystem and undermining an informed electorate.

Generative AI systems are increasingly being employed globally, bringing with them both tremendous promise and substantial potential for harm. As is often the case, governance initiatives are laggi...

The second Trump administration has figured out how to add some new wrinkles to its assault-on-journalism playbook, writes Philip M. Napoli.

This conference brings together researchers across the academic, industry, non-profit and government sectors whose work addresses local journalism solutions.

<b>Available online now and in print February 27, 2025</b> Challenges and Developments in Public Service Journalism, the 11th RIPE Reader, examines the role of public service journalism, as well as th...

The convergence of Trump and Musk’s political power with ownership of social media platforms raises urgent questions, writes Philip M. Napoli.

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Philip Napoli is a professor of public policy and director of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy at the Sanford School at Duke University.

Prof. Philip M. Napoli James R. Shepley Professor of Public Policy and Director of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. He teaches...

This article examines ongoing efforts to discourage disinformation and hate speech research in the U.S. These initiatives originate from a variety of institutional actors, including digital platfor...

"To describe one form of journalism as 'fact-based' is to tacitly acknowledge that there is also such a thing as 'non-fact-based journalism.' And there isn’t."