Data & Society advisor Ethan Zuckerman is associate professor of public policy, information and communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and director of the Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure. His research focuses on alternative business and governance models for the internet. He is the author of Mistrust: How Losing Trust in Institutions Provides Tools to Transform Them (2021) and Rewire: Digital Cosmopolitans in the Age of Connection (2013). Previously, Zuckerman directed the Center for Civic Media at MIT and taught at the MIT Media Lab.
Ethan Zuckerman

All Work
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blog post
Points"The processes editors have used to filter information were never transparent, hence the enthusiasm of the early 2000s for unfiltered media. What may be new is the pervasiveness of the gatekeeping that algorithms make possible,... Read on PointsFebruary 2016 -
op-ed
The GuardianD&S Advisor Ethan Zuckerman contemplates the sustainability of advertising on the internet in 2016 and why advertisers continue to go through all the trouble to track a user across their devices: The simple truth is that w... Read on The GuardianJanuary 2015 -
Longform
SSIRAll around the world, media outlets are learning that some funders are uncomfortable with supporting journalism merely as a “public good.” They want to see proof of impact. In this article, D&S advisor Ethan Zuckerman an... Read on SSIRNovember 2015 -
Longform
The ConversationD&S advisor Ethan Zuckerman gives a speech on the MIT Media Lab's 30th anniversary praising the numerous innovations that have come from the lab but puts forth the important question of whether or not innovators can build p... Read on The ConversationOctober 2015 -
blog post
Data & SocietyBenjamen Walker makes some of the best radio around....His finest work tends to come out in series of podcasts, exploring a complex issue through interviews and stories that unfold over two or more sequential weekly episodes. ... Read on Data & SocietyJuly 2015 -
blog post
EthanZuckerman.comExcerpt: "As one of the speakers put it (we’re under Chatham House rules...), listening machines trigger all three aspects of the surveillance holy trinity: they’re pervasive, starting to appear in all aspects of our lives; the... Read on EthanZuckerman.comJune 2015 -
blog post
EthanZuckerman.comIn this blog post, D&S Ethan Zuckerman discusses some of the recent work being done by Helen Nissenbaum. While also being a leading thinker on the ethical issues faced in digital spaces, Nissenbaum also lends her support an... Read moreOctober 2014 -
event
Data & SocietyData & Society advisor Ethan Zuckerman shares ideas he’s developing around civic engagement and effectiveness — and measuring effectiveness. Read moreAugust 2014 -
Longform
The AtlanticIn this essay, Data & Society advisor Ethan Zuckerman explains his belief that the "fallen state of our Internet is a direct, if unintentional, consequence of choosing advertising as the default model to support online cont... Read on The AtlanticAugust 2014