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Annenberg School for Communication
Are Republicans and Democrats driven by hatred of one another? Less than you think
Rather than being fueled by animosity for the other side—negative partisanship—a new study finds that Americans are at least as motivated by the passion they have for their own party.
How do media depictions of tobacco influence smoking decisions for young adults?
Two studies from the Annenberg School for Communication’s Robert Hornik find that media portrayals of such behaviors can change actions and perception, but how and by how much depends on a range of factors.
Moving away from ‘average,’ toward the individual
In a course from Annenberg’s David Lydon-Staley, seven graduate students conducted single-participant experiments. This approach, what’s known as an “n of 1,” may better capture the nuances of a diverse population than randomized control trials can.
How storytelling can motivate us to help others
A new study from Annenberg School’s Communication Neuroscience Lab finds that personal stories—instead of cold facts—make people want to help keep others safe.
Ben Franklin: A voice from the past that speaks to our time
At the 2022 Silfen Forum, Penn Interim President Wendell Pritchett chatted with filmmaker Ken Burns about his new two-part documentary on Benjamin Franklin.
Tech’s role in Russia’s war on Ukraine
Media scholar Courtney Radsch says tech platforms should have been faster to address Russian government propaganda, misinformation, and censorship.
Seeking justice, support for incarcerated Pennsylvanians
As winners of the 2021 President’s Engagement Prize, Carson Eckhard, Natalia Rommen, and Sarah Simon provide hope for wrongfully convicted people and a roadmap for inmates set for release.
Public media can improve our ‘flawed’ democracy
A new study finds that countries with well-funded public media have healthier democracies, and explains why investment in U.S. public media is an investment in the future of journalism and democracy alike.
New COVID-19 roadmap: Four takeaways
A report spearheaded by PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel, with input from other Penn experts, lays out a dozen priorities for the federal government to tackle in the next 12 months. The aim: to help guide the U.S. to the pandemic’s “next normal.”
Climate scientist Michael Mann to join Penn faculty
Mann is the first new faculty member to be recruited as part of the recently announced Energy and Sustainability Initiative as a Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science.
In the News
Trump trial tests his campaign strategy of embracing bad publicity
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says that Donald Trump’s trial is giving him is the opportunity to bookmark his appearances with on-camera access, underscored by Truth Social.
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A Taylor Swift-themed addiction recovery group started in Philly and became ‘a community with the vibe of a Taylor concert’
Jessa Lingel of the Annenberg School for Communication says that online music fandoms have always been places where people make sense of stigmas.
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Why losing political power now feels like ‘losing your country’
Yphtach Lelkes of the Annenberg School for Communication says that political elites, not average voters, are driving the democratic backsliding that is occurring in America.
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Two public radio stations. Two different business models. One future of public radio in Boston hangs in the balance
Victor Pickard of the Annenberg School for Communication says that there’s a greater need for public broadcasting than ever before, especially as entire sectors of the commercial news media system are crumbling.
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After four years with COVID-19, the U.S. is settling into a new approach to respiratory virus season
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says that the sense of urgency around vaccination has faded as attention on respiratory viruses wanes.
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