He has published two books on media and communication and served as dean of the College of Communications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Jones described Carey’s work as focusing on “what journalists know,” which he said makes it particularly timely.

Cornelia Dean, science editor of The New York Times, hopes to examine how the media reports on scientific information.

“There are lots and lots of examples of how we ignore information because we don’t like it,” Dean said.

She will also look into why scientists do not speak out on public scientific matters, as well as the changes in how research is underwritten.

“The major source of funding for scientific research is private money, and private money usually has a profit motive,” Dean said.

A semester at the Shorenstein Center, Dean said, is also a welcome respite from the pressures of her job at the Times.

“It was basically a horrible nightmare, writing a book while working full-time,” she said.

—Staff writer Alexander J. Blenkinsopp can be reached at blenkins@fas.harvard.edu.